The Princess and the Detective
by Kaila.Nicole
Summary: Dick Grayson's life takes a turn for the worst when a new serial killer, the Fairytale Felon, arises. While he searches for clues, he's taken with the new gym instructor, Kory Anders, who may possibly be the killer's next victim. Richard/Kory. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Detective Richard Grayson (28)**

**Kory Anders (27)**

**Detective Marty Grimes (36)**

**Special Agent Brandon Soames (25)**

**Victor Stone (30)**

**Rachel Roth (28)**

**Sarah Simms (29)**

**Garfield Logan (27)**

**Komille Anders (31)**

**Weston Redd (28)**

**Dr. Seth Gordon (33)**

**As always, enjoy!**

The thick scent of incense filled his lungs as he dragged in a slow breath. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and slowly dripped down into his eyes. He blinked them away, not daring to move his hand, as it was most likely the only thing that was keeping him from making an ass of himself and collapsing on his mat.

"Inhale," The alluring voice from the front instructed again and he obeyed, sucking in another breath, body trembling slightly from its current position. "Rise up, place both knees in front of you, and lower to the floor." Gratefully, he twisted his body, following the rest of the class, and bowed his head forward, meeting the black shade of his yoga mat. "Now, pull upwards, arching the spine and rotating the shoulders. Take another breath in and let it out."

He drew one eye open, glad that she wasn't looking, as it was against the strange _feng shui_ rules in her class, and eyed the lovely new instructor. She'd started sometime when he'd been out in Los Angeles, helping Agent Callen out on a case there for over a month. When he'd come back to Gotham, she was there- in his gym- adjusting the free weights, sporting no ring on her left hand, and wiping sweat off her ample chest.

"You may open your eyes." And that was her personal cue to take leave and leave they did, rolling up their mats and collecting their water bottles. He moved slowly, though, taking his precious time to wipe the sweat off his own mat and guzzle down the rest of his water. "I believe the rules were to keep your eyes closed." Her voice awoke him from his ritual. As he turned to face her, he turned on the famous Dick Grayson charm and graced her presence with a sly grin.

"I couldn't help admiring what you've done with the place." Amazingly, he was telling the truth. What used to be a simple ballet studio with floor-to-ceiling mirrors was now a room worthy for a sheik. Bright turquoise covered the other three walls of the studio, the color bouncing off of the mirrors. Where large box windows used to sit naked, billowy poppy-colored curtains blocked the harsh sunlight from coming in, one of the reasons he'd signed up for the class. He liked being holed up in a dark and quiet room with a gorgeous woman to gaze towards. She moved forward, arms crossed across her chest, and chuckled dryly.

"I thank you, but know that in my class, you _will_ follow the rules. Understood?" Resisting the urge to lower his eyes, he merely stuck out his hand for a shake. Her emerald eyes glanced down momentarily, as if she were confused by the action, but quickly stuck her own palm out and gripped his hand. _For such a hardass, her hand is awfully soft_.

"Dick Grayson, nice to meet you."

"Kory Anders, and a pleasure, as well." Their hands stayed connected for another second or two until she pulled away to pick up her purple mat. He cleared his throat and made his way for the door, but his hand had barely touched the doorknob before she spoke again, breaking the silence.

"Interesting choice of color, Mr. Grayson." Her hand motioned to his mat, "I have to say that as long as I've been teaching these classes, I've never seen anyone with one as… dark as yours."

"Guess I'm one of a kind," He flashed a pearly smile and she scoffed, "Are you enjoying the lovely Gotham City?" A shrug of the shoulders told him all he needed to know. She probably hadn't been out very much, considering how intimidating the downtown district could be. When he'd started, the other cops had teased him that he would have to prowl the city at night, so no one saw him, and draw himself maps to help find his way around Gotham while on patrol.

"I suppose so, but it is rather…."

"…massive?" He finished and she nodded. "Well, if you need someone to show you around, I'm your man."

"I don't date. Sorry." His eyes widened innocently, like that had been the last thing on his mind, even though it was the first thought that crossed him once he first caught sight of her.

"Hey, now, don't be jumping to conclusions, Kory. I'm only being a helpful officer of the law." He decided that he rather enjoyed the way her face flushed, a light pink brushing across her tan features.

"Oh. Forgive me, then. It's just that all of the men here seem to think that if I am single, I am what you call 'simple'."

"Easy?" He grinned at her as the pink turned to a slight red.

"Yes, precisely," Kory leaned down to drown her incense sticks, hoping that the motion would keep her face hidden, "This colloquial language you Americans speak is rather confusing, you know." A dark eyebrow arched up, thoroughly amused with the redhead in front of him.

"Eh, you'll get the hang of it sooner or later-" An annoying _bringing_ sound interrupted him and caused her to jolt slightly. "Detective Grayson." She moved away, allowing him to have his conversation in peace, and flicked off the overhead lights, leaving the sunlight to color the bamboo floors a spicy orange color. "Shit. Are you serious? Yeah, I'll be down there in twenty."

He snapped his phone in frustration, his anger seeming to leak over to Kory, who stood timidly on the other side of the doorway. "Duty calls." She smiled and waved him on out so she could lock the door, when a hand on her forearm stopped her. "Think about what I said."

In the matter of a few seconds, he was barreling down the stairs and out the lobby door, slipping into his Gotham Police Department jacket along the way, before entering the frigid winter air. Kory leaned against the railing, watching his dark form head off down the street to a newer-mode l SUV.

It was then that she realized she wasn't sure _what_ she was supposed to be thinking about, because the man had talked so damn much. Rather than mull over his words, she chose instead to think about the muscles she knew resided underneath that shirt of his. Perhaps her sister was right; Gotham was indeed an interesting place to settle down in and right then, she couldn't think of a better place to be.

\/

"Name?" Dick immediately asked as he reached the crime scene. His partner, Marty Grimes, glanced down at the missing person's photo in his hand before returning his gaze to the victim.

"Rita Farr, age twenty-four, lives in West Harlow." In front of the detectives were the tattered remnants of a woman. Long brown hair covered most of the gruesome scars littering her face. Her arms, chained to the wall, sported gaping, bloody gashes and nasty teeth marks, both of which were made by the three vicious pit bulls in the corner- subdued long ago by an animal control officer.

The cheery yellow dress she wore contradicted her fate, which was immediately assessed by the amount of blood loss and nonexistent pulse. A copy of _The Beauty and the Beast_ lay near her feet, gleaming pristinely with its gold cover and binding.

Dick grumbled as Melinda, the coroner, helped the EMT's remove the murdered princess from the wall, "The Fairytale Felon strikes again."

**AN: Chapter One: "Love Save the Empty" by Erin McCarley **

**I suppose I should dedicate this chapter to my dentist, Dr. George, because without him painfully removing my wisdom teeth and doping me up with Vicodin, I wouldn't have ever finished outlining this as quickly as I did. **

**You know the drill: review! …please?**


	2. Chapter 2

A massive Plexiglas board stood in the middle of the Gotham Police Department's precinct, decorated with maps and crime scene photos. Running along the top were three driver's license pictures of the victims, their smiles contrasting against the gory mess below them.

"Amy Winston, age twenty-two, found in an abandoned shoe factory," Marty recited, motioning to the crime scene photo of a blonde woman in a blue prom dress, a broken glass slipper wedged between her breasts. "Cassandra Cain, age twenty-three, body found underneath the bleachers at the ice-skating rink downtown," A headless body lay on a concrete slab, the mound of a cracked skull from a lovely Asian-American woman a few yards away. "And, our newest member, Rita Farr, age twenty-four. The security guard at the outlet mall found her in the basement."

Dick moved forward to readjust the photos, "Cinderella, Mulan, and Belle."

"Any connections between them?" The newest addition to the force, Special Agent Brandon Soames, rose from his desk.

"No. All just beautiful women that happen to look like Disney characters." Victor Stone, the lead tech operator, turned to his co-workers, "The only clue I've been able to uncover is this." Grabbing his iPad, his fingers flew across the screen before a large monitor to the right of the board began playing a soft, musical tune.

"A… merry-go-round?" Marty guessed as they strained to listen.

"A music box!" Brandon exclaimed happily and the other three men glared, "Sorry, guys."

"What does it have to do with the girls?"

"This same sound was left on each of their voicemails exactly one day before they disappeared. I traced the number for each of them, but they're all coming from random payphones in Gotham, ___Bludhaven, and Cain's even came from Metropolis." Marty sipped his coffee slowly, eyeing the board. _

_"__Which means tracking this guy down isn't going to be easy." Victor nodded in agreement and then turned to the newcomer, Dr. Melinda Merchant, who had entered the room._

_"__Any signs of rape?"_

_"__No torn panties, no semen or condom lubrication, and most importantly, no tearing. The only thing that tells me is he can't get it up and he knows it or we could possibly be dealing with a female serial killer." Marty shrugged, draining his cup. _

_"__With Gotham, anything's possible." _

___\/_

___It was seven o'clock on a Friday night. The only reason he knew this was because Kitten's text message informed him of the time and that she would be out looking for him tonight at "their favorite spots." All this told Dick was that he most certainly wasn't going out for a drink with his friends tonight if she was out there, lurking in the darkness in her mini-skirt and push-up bra, ready to pounce at a moment's notice. He involuntarily shivered at the thought. _

___Closing his apartment door, he dumped his keys and cell phone onto the counter before collapsing onto the couch. Eyes roved the ceiling above, looking at the clump of dust surrounding the ceiling fan. Is this was he had resorted himself to? Checking his ceiling for dirt? Frustrated, his body moved from the couch and to the bedroom, where his hands grabbed the gym bag from the closet and slung it over his shoulder. Was it sad that the only he could do was work out? _

___He supposed so, but it kept his nervous system intact- unlike if he had gone and run into Kitten. Hoping that the new instructor worked late, he headed back out the door. _

___\/_

_"__Back to break some more rules?" The familiar voice almost caused him to trip on the belt of the treadmill. The heels of his sneakers made a terrible skidding sound before he realigned himself. Kory leaned against the handrails, sporting a Gotham Knights football T-shirt and tiny yellow shorts. Dick felt his breath catch as he snuck a peak at those incredibly long legs. _

_"__Not at all, Miss Anders." She smirked and he noticed the sheen in her eyes as they dropped down his body. "Lost in thought?" _

_"__Oh, no, I know exactly where my thoughts are. You?" She slid one silky leg over the other, crossing them at her calves. The water bottle in his hand found its way to the carpeted floor, the liquid barely missing the machine. Instead, it coated the front of her shirt and dripped all the way down her legs. Before he could even begin to muster up an apology due to the dry state of his mouth at the sight of all that water running over all that leg, she grabbed the towel hanging around his neck, wiped the water away, and then hung it back around his still frozen form. "Come on, clumsy, let's hit the weights- that is if you don't drop one on my foot."_

_"__We- you're not my- I don't have a-"_

_"__Trainer?" He nodded meekly. "In case you haven't noticed, there's absolutely no one here besides us and clearly, you need help controlling your form." His past experience with women only reassured what he already knew: the lovely instructor was flirting with him. If it wouldn't threaten his sanity, he would have sent Kitten a dozen roses for forcing him down to the gym on a Friday night. _

___The two lone exercisers sat across from each other on two similar machines. Bringing their arms forward, the stacks of weights rose up with each movement. Kory enjoyed the familiar tug in her shoulders as she added on another ten pounds to the resistance. _

_"__So how's the GPD doing?" At his peculiar expression, she explained her curiosity. "I used to hang out with some of the junior officers. My sister used to date one of them." _

_"__Really? Who?" If her sister looked anything like her, Dick was sure he would have noticed. _

_"__Roy Harper." The two shared a solemn look, knowing exactly why Kory's sister and the officer weren't dating any longer. Every day on his way to the elevator, Dick passed by the memorial in the lobby erected in memory of those lost on September 11____th____. Roy Harper's picture sat with the other seventeen men in the department who had fallen when called into action all those years ago. _

___In response to her question from earlier, Dick shrugged nonchalantly, as if the recent murders weren't keeping him awake at night. "All right, clumsy, that's enough. You'll wear those muscles down if you keep it up." He follows her around the fitness center like a love struck puppy, intrigued with her forthcoming attitude… among other things. _

___\/_

_"__Let me make it up to you."_

_"__No."_

_"__Kory…."_

_"__I told you, Dick: I don't date."_

_"__Come on, what have you got to lose?"_

_"__My night."_

_"__And what were you going to do on a Friday night by yourself?"_

_"__Wash laundry and drink." The look on his face caused her to erupt into a fit of laughter. "All right, fine." She grabbed a promotional flyer off the front desk and scribbled down her address. "Pick me up in an hour." He saluted mockingly before heading out into the frosty November air once again. When he gazed back, the outline of her body was still visible, moving around and flicking off lights as she went. After some time, he was too far to see her any longer, but he knew she was there, and the frosty air wasn't as dreary as before. _

___**AN: Chapter Two: "Chai Tea Latte" by Angel Taylor**_

___**I tried not to make Kory as timid and naïve as I've seen in other FanFictions, because if she has the gall to move to a completely different country (which we'll learn why later), she has to have a significant level of stamina. **_

___**I'm also going on the "Gotham is in New York" plan, with Metropolis being across the bay and **_**Bludhaven directly south of Gotham.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Argh. FanFiction annoys me. I'm sorry if the last chapter is **_**still**_** in italics for the last part, because I've replaced the chapter several times, and it still keeps coming up in italics. **

**Let's hope that doesn't happen with this chapter. **

**On a lighter note, happy Fourth of July, all you Americans out there! **

"Right on time." Kory remarked with admiration when Dick opened the door for her and waited for her to climb in. Hurriedly, he made his way around the front of the vehicle and started the engine.

"And risk you changing your mind because I was late? I could never let that happen," His blue eyes glistened as a streetlight's glow caught in them.

"I'm glad."

"I'm glad you're glad." She giggled and relaxed in her seat as he drove through the streets of Gotham and passed places she'd never even heard of. When her sister had told her that Gotham's size could compete with New York City's, Kory thought Komille had been throwing out another excuse for her to come out there. Now, though, Kom's words were beginning to make sense. "So where are we going?" The car made its way onto the ramp for I-95 and Dick turned up the radio, settling back into his own seat.

"You think I'm going to tell you?"

"To be honest, I'm starting to think you are a serial killer and you're luring me into a trap." At his gaping expression, she released another round of laughter. "I'm kidding, Dick. But seriously, where are we headed?" While he chewed over whether or not to at least give her a hint, Phil Collins' filled the silence as Kory waited patiently. "You don't have to tell me, you know. I suppose I am simply curious as to why we are this far out of town."

"I was hoping you would say that, because it wouldn't be as exciting if you knew where we were headed, now would it?" She agreed and the two fell into a comfortable silence as he drove ahead. Only when they passed a sign for Brooklyn did Kory realize they'd been in the car for over twenty minutes, simply listening to the music playing from his iPod he had hooked up when the radio stations began to grow fuzzy.

"I gathered from your classroom at the gym that you enjoyed the Caribbean culture, so after scouring the Internet for a few minutes this evening, I found this place," He motioned to the restaurant in front of them as the car pulled into an empty parking space. Her green eyes lit up as he moved quickly around the vehicle again, opening the door for her. Kory slipped out and pressed her lips to his jaw lightly.

"Thank you, Dick."

"We haven't even gotten inside yet, Kory," He smiled sheepishly as she shrugged, sliding her arm through his easily and tugging him along to the entrance.

\/

"Right on time." The voice giggled excitedly, stretching the black latex gloves over its hands and reveling in the snapping sound they created when meeting with flesh. Aurora glared at the murderer, her eyes a steel blue that matched the pounding of the waves outside. "Oh, my Rose, you will look so lovely once I put you to sleep."

"Let me go, you fucker! I ought to take that needle and stab it into your-" A blood curling scream arose from the pit of her body and the voice closed its eyes and memorized the sound, storing it away into the depths of the mind. Aurora would take some time to subdue- she sure was a feisty one, but the voice knew what would happen, in the end, even if she still held onto her faith.

\/

"Wanna take a spin?" Dick pulled his date closer and directed her towards the multicolored Deno's Wonder Wheel near the end of the boardwalk. Kory inhaled the sight of the contraption.

"I uh… I've never been on one. You are sure they are safe?" The grin he couldn't keep off his face the entire night reappeared, broader this time at the knowledge he would be honoring her with her first time on a Ferris wheel.

"Positive. Trust me?" She nodded swiftly and together, they boarded an empty car and were waved away by the technician. Kory jumped slightly as the machine brought them higher and higher, her spine tingling as they edged closer and closer to the top.

"Oh, you can see the water from here!" Dick followed her slender finger to where a strip of moonlit water could be seen beyond the colorful game booths. The bright lights from below the ride lit up the green in her eyes like fireworks, the technicolor orbs gleaming happily at him as they reached the top.

"Enjoying the view?" Kory snuggled closer into his shoulder, blocking the wind coming off the water that caught her crimson hair. The light strands floated upwards as if swimming towards the surface of the planet. In response, she nodded again and sighed happily.

"Want to hear a secret?"

"I'm all ears." He ignored the quizzical look on her face because as soon as it appeared, she was talking again, stopping him from asking about it.

"This is better than washing laundry and drinking beer."

"Well," He pulled his arm tighter and chuckled as she shivered under his touch, "It's good to know that our date upped your regular Friday night."

"Hey! I never said that was what I did _every_ Friday. It just so happens to be that it would have been… safer if I had stayed indoors. Alone."

"Safer? Why?" _Great job, Grayson. The girl you're crushing on is some type of schizo or she's got some demonic family member that wants revenge _-

His inner conscience was interrupted with a wave of her hand, "Oh, don't worry. I'm trying to avoid a troublesome ex-boyfriend. It is nothing to worry about. Weston would hurt no one, but he is rather… demanding." Dick couldn't help but laugh lightly, knowing someone _exactly_ like this Weston. "You find this humorous, Dick?" Kory again gazed at him with that quizzical expression. He didn't want to admit how damn cute she looked when she made that face.

"No, no, Kory," He found himself stumbling over his words as the wheel started up again, "I can relate. There are some certain people in my life that don't understand the meaning of… personal space." The tightness in his chest which he attributed to heartburn from the Caribbean food could have definitely been classified as anxiety. When the redhead smirked, though, the "heartburn" surprisingly disappeared.

Another gust of wind brought them closer again and in the single instant, Dick's hand pressed tightly against her lower back, beckoning her to him. Their bodies touching, warming at the feeling of one another, he leaned his head down, exhaling shakily before capturing her lips with his own. It was gentle and sensual, a light tasting of each other, but enough to bring the fireworks back into her eyes.

"I did not check the handbook earlier to see if we could date clients." Her voice was barely a whisper while the air around them swirled.

"Then kiss me for now." They laughed at his flippant humor but agreed entirely, because neither one stopped the other from moving forward for another kiss.

\/

"Simply gorgeous." Fingers moved through sun-bleached hair. Lips touched the silken tresses. Breath tickled the frozen features. "I am rather sorry, Rose, but if I tried to explain my reasoning, you would never understand."

"Try me." The creature below murmured in a drunken slur. The voice chuckled again, eager to send this princess on to her final stage of existence.

"I would if I could, darling Rose, but now it's time to sleep." The fingers that caressed her hair moved towards the final syringe full of pancuronium toxin and the tip of the needle emitted a tiny bit of fluid that dripped down to the concrete floor. A glaze hovered over the eyes of the killer as the needle edged closer and closer, like two lovers meeting for the first time. In a rush of passion, the tip plunged into the unmarred, milky skin of the princess. Aurora struggled at the sensations sweeping over her body as her lungs began to fail her and she thought of the term "sleeping with the fishes" was completely relevant because right then, she probably looked like a fish with her wide eyes and gaping mouth. She sought for the oxygen to create the blood her heart craved. She found none.

"Why?" Aurora crooned out her last word. Her mind drifted off, though, before she ever received an answer. The lips that once touched the golden strands moved towards the frightfully icy blue irises, giving both soft butterfly kisses and wishing her a safe passage.

"It is all right. Everything is complete. Worry no more, my Sleeping Beauty."

\/

"I had a glorious time. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Kory. And… likewise." Cars buzzed by along the street, completely oblivious to the couple perched on the cold sidewalk, they themselves a small speck of light among the darkness. His hand twitched as the wind brought a few stray pieces of her hair across her face. Finally giving into the urge, his fingertips brushed lightly against her skin, tucking the hair safely away behind her ear.

"Would you like to come in for a moment?"

"Sure. That'd be great."

Kory's apartment was simply that: Kory's. As she moved on past him to retrieve a beer for them, he placed his coat on the back of the loveseat and eyed the blinking plasma-screen with interest. The breezy coastline colors surprised him because he'd been expecting another shocking round of orange or bright purple to go along with her fiery attitude. "You were playing _Arkham Asylum_?" He asked as she entered the room, wearing a smirk and a shrug.

"It was either that or walk Silkie." The swell of her lips surrounded the tip of the bottle as she took a sip. Dick took a seat on the couch, admiring the bamboo floors that peeked out from between the edge of the couch and the living room's rug, all the while trying to contain the rush of electricity he'd experienced when her lips met the bottle.

"Silkie?" His answer came in the form of an aged Alaskan Malamute bounding joyfully towards him and he immediately put out his hands to stop the animal from jumping onto his lap. At the same time, Kory raised her hand and lowered it, simmering the dog's emotions down to a simple tail wag. "Don't these dogs need a ton of exercise?" She brought her attention away from her beloved companion to her newest one, smiling at Dick's incredulous expression.

"Well, Silkie here is nearing old age, the poor fellow," She comically covered the ears of the animal, who whined in protest, "He's almost seventy-two in dog years."

"How long have you had him?" The dog leaned into Dick's touch, panting softly, and it amazed Dick that he hadn't been able to tell she owned a dog at all when he'd walked in.

"Since I was seventeen." The look that crossed her face wasn't a quizzical one this time; instead, it was something he recognized. Pain. But the look came and went like the rest, appearing as suddenly as it disappeared.

"Would you be interested in a round?"

"Of what?" The bottle in her hand tilted dangerously toward the floor.

He picked up the controller and motioned innocently to the game system, "X-Box. God, Kory, what did you think I was talking about?" She playfully stuck her tongue out and grabbed the spare controller she owned. Soon, they logged in and eyed each other's Live accounts with interest.

"Nightwing?"

"Starfire?" In unison, they shrugged and settled into the couch for a round of ass-kicking as the fictional Batman and his trusty sidekick, Robin.

\/

The musical voice bid goodbye to its creation and knelt down to place the _Sleeping Beauty_ fairytale by her side. A single red rose adorned the place where her hands clasped together and a latex-covered finger danced over the soft petals there. With a flick of the lights, Aurora succumbed to the poison in her bloodstream and drifted off to an eternal rest.

**AN: Chapter Three: "Kiss a Girl" by Keith Urban**

**Having never touched an X-Box in my life, I hope that everything I wrote was up to par regarding the game system. If Robin's character isn't in the game "Arkham Asylum," lo siento, ****mis amigos. **

**Pancuronium is the paralysis drug that is used in lethal injection to slow down the heart and diaphragm. **

**In case you didn't know, Dick and Kory's first date was to Coney Island. I just had to put the Ferris wheel scene in here somewhere! And the restaurant mentioned does exist and it's called "Footprints Cafe." Having never been to New York, I don't know if the cuisine there is good or not, but hey, can't blame a girl for trying at some realism. **

**You know the drill. **


	4. Chapter 4

Sticky. Sticky air. Hot and quick, brushing against his face. He groaned and rotated his hips. Sharp inhale.

"Holy shit!" Dick coughed violently and turned his head aside. His hands that had been behind his pillow tried to push the weighted object off his chest. A loud _bring_ blared into his left ear, mocking his current entrapped position.

"Dick? Is that your phone?" No, Kory couldn't be there, because this was utter reeking hell and it made no sense for her to be there in his dream. An audible gasp sounded, replacing the ringtone. "Silkie, off! Down! _Get down_!" The furriness planted a sloppy, wet nose against his cheek- an affectionate goodbye- before bounding away. Finally, Dick put two and two together and his eyes bolted open.

A sleepy-eyed, smiling face and a curtain of crimson hair graced his presence, gazing down upon him on the couch. Kory's couch. He rubbed a hand across his face to wipe away the residue Silkie had left behind.

"Kory?"

"The one and only. I made us some coffee, but it's still in the kitchen," She moved away, much to Dick's disappointment, "How do you like yours?"

"Black." When she turned and wrinkled her nose at the word, he couldn't resist grinning. "What happened last night?"

"You fell asleep after I kicked your ass in the video game."

"Sorry about that."

"Sorry for falling asleep or sorry for me beating you?"

"Mmm… both." He stretched and rose from the couch, stealthily moving across the hardwood to lean against the breakfast bar. Dressed in a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top that was riding up the small of her back, Kory turned from the coffee maker with the two cups in hand. Seeing him appear so suddenly, she yelped and dropped the cups onto the bar, where they rattled and sloshed the caffeinated beverage onto the granite.

"Are you all right?" He smirked at her frazzled state and she eyed him reproachfully.

"I suppose am still in shock from coming in here earlier and finding you and my dog making out on the sofa." She teased and laughed at the misty spray of black coffee as it shot out of his mouth.

"I wasn't making out with your dog!"

"If Silkie satisfies you in that way, you can have him, Dick. All you had to do was ask."

"Wh- what? Kory, _he_ sat on top of _me_!" She continued to ignore him and sipped her drink nonchalantly.

"Although I will be sad to see him go, perhaps it is for the best…."

"Stop laughing at me, woman." Dick growled playfully.

"Or you will do what?" She leaned in close and he inhaled the scent of hazelnut creamer dancing off her lips as they skimmed across his-

"Phone call from _Marty Grimes_. Phone call from _Marty Grimes_." The couple separated frustratedly.

"Duty calls." Kory's dry voice quipped as he visibly swallowed, returning to the living room to answer.

"Detective Grayson."

"It's about time you picked up."

"Sorry, I was… busy. What's up?" Marty's sigh told him all he needed to know.

"Sleeping Beauty was found this morning near the wharf at Bludhaven Harbor."

\/

"At least she's still got a head." Brandon, the resident Quantico liaison, pointed out as Dick and he arrived at the crime scene. If the smell of rotting fish guts wasn't enough to knock a grown man over, the frighteningly serene sight of the gorgeous blonde lying on the mattress was.

"I see you've demoted your housemouse position, at least."

"What the hell you talking about, Grayson?" Dick smirked and moved forward, snapping on a pair of gloves to examine the scene and taking out his trusty Canon to snap some photos.

"As I can recall, the last time we brought you out for a DAS, you ended up dumping that breakfast burrito you had all over the floor. Melinda wasn't too content with working around the stench."

"Mel works with _cadavers_. What's worse than a dead body?"

"One that tells us nothing." The short, brunette coroner rejoined the men and eyed the victim distastefully, "I had the boys come in and sweep the place, but like last time, no fingerprints and no sign of DNA as of now."

"Then why are _we_ here?" Brandon whined, "You always let _them_ do all the dirty work." Melinda rolled her eyes and sent Dick an exasperated glance, to which he simply shrugged his shoulders indifferently. Brandon's attitude was well known around the precinct for being a bit impatient and a little too forthcoming with anything that was on his mind. Dick figured it had to do with the fact that Brandon's father was a senior officer in the NYPD and didn't have his ass handed to him as many times as it could have been when he was younger.

"Honey, _they_ may have earned a master's degree in forensics, but you two have more street sense than all those minions combined." Brandon smirked.

"See? _She_ thinks I'm smart."

"Statistically, I suppose someone has to." Dick muttered and joined Melinda by the body. "Cause of death?"

"Okay, Rich, I'm good, but I'm not that good. I'll give you a ring when I figure out what killed Sleeping Beauty here." He nodded, snapping a few more photographs for Victor, and then headed out to the wharf. Spotting his witness, he handed the camera over to Brandon and moved on, feeling the saltwater-battered wood splinter underneath his shoes. The dock manager stood at the edge, his eyes straining on the water ahead and heavy thoughts weighing down his mind. At the sound of footsteps, the man turned slightly and shook the hand he received.

"Detective Dick Grayson."

"Sam Boulder."

"Can you tell me what happened this morning, Sam?" Sam's hazel eyes narrowed, as if trying to reel the disturbing scene from the water, like a personal Moby Dick.

"Came in around seven, grabbed a cup of coffee, and was making my usual rounds when I noticed that one of the padlocks was off. It was a clean cut, likely a nice pair of bolt cutters. The door swung open and as soon as I made that right turn…" A visible shudder ran through the workman's body and he ran a grease-streaked hand across his face, "…she was lying there, like some kind of model from a magazine, dressed like one of those princesses." Dick nodded, pressing a comforting hand on the man's shoulder.

"I'm sorry you had to be the one to find it."

"My- my daughter is seven. She likes all of those Disney movies… the ones with the princesses," The hazel eyes filled up with salty tears, "How am I going to go home and read her another one of her bedtime stories if I can't get that image out of my head? That's someone's little girl in there, Detective." His voice lowered to a harsh whisper and if the wind hadn't stopped blowing, Dick would have never caught the words. "What kind of _monster_ could do that to a little girl?"

"We'll find him, Sam, don't worry." Dick moved away, patting the man's shoulder once more before dropping his hand, "One of our officers will drive you home." He couldn't be sure if the man truly heard him or not, but Sam nodded, and Dick trotted back down the wharf.

After he loaded up the gear and bid goodbye to Melinda again, Dick looked back out to see the form of the workman still standing at the end of the wharf, a dark spot on the overcast horizon.

\/

"Tara Markov."

"Hmm?" Dick looked up from his Chinese takeout dinner to the lab-coated form of his favorite coroner, although he would never tell her that. Mel didn't like playing favorites, although Dick could tell that she was beginning to have a soft spot for Brandon, most likely due to his age and naivety.

"Sleeping Beauty's name is Tara Markov. Her fingerprints pulled up in our system."

"For?"

"A conviction back in 2003 on minor assault and trespassing," Victor's booming voice filled the squad room as the monitor came to life with a photo of several hundred protestors standing around a tobacco company, complete with picket signs and banners. "A cab driver almost ran over her after she was pushed off the sidewalk by security. She decked the cabby in the face and he threatened to sue her for 'emotional distress.'" Stepping in from lunch, Marty smirked and eyed the video of Tara beating up the driver and slamming him on top of his hood.

"My kind of woman. Age?"

"Twenty-five. Another pattern to the murders. Amy Winston was twenty-two and the rest were all one year older than the next."

"The question is what age is he going to _stop_ at?" Marty spoke up after the silence following Victor's statement.

"I suggest we not find out and get to him before another princess shows up," Dick grabbed his coat and headed out the door, yelling orders as he went, "Vic, you run _all_ security footage around the dock and check out all the people who signed in that day. Our killer could have stuck around afterhours with her in that warehouse and the mangers never saw him when they locked up for the night. Marty, you help Vic."

"Where are _you_ headed, Dick?"

"Brooding time." The other three members of the team answered in unison before heading off to their own tasks.

"What about _me_, then?" The F.B.I. liaison called again from behind his desk.

"You can help Mel down in the lab, but don't touch _anything_ without her permission." Brandon looked over to the coroner who stood by Dick's desk.

"And don't throw up all over the floor, either, or I-" Brandon raised his hands innocently and followed her to the elevator.

"I know, you'll kill me and dispose of my body without anyone ever finding me. Sheesh. Give a guy a break, would you?"

\/

The interior of the popular downtown club Yankee Bitch was as it should have been: hot, loud, and thundering with the bass of some new up-and-coming hip-hop mogul. However, Kory didn't need to stand near the entrance long before she spotted the table her friends were occupying. She pushed her way through the crowd, ignoring the unsettling catcalls she received from the sweaty college boys visiting Gotham over the winter holiday break.

"Kory!" The table roared as she arrived and slid in next to Rachel, immediately ordering a gin and tonic.

"Where have you been, girl?" Sarah prodded, her voice high and slurred from the amount of alcohol she'd drained. Next to Sarah sat Victor Stone, her longtime boyfriend and who Kory heard worked for the GPD, as well. Garfield, Gotham Zoo's head veterinarian and Rachel's boyfriend, resided next to Victor with his arm around Rachel's shoulder as he whispered what was most likely a terrible joke.

"Working." Kory responded and sipped her drink. From across the table, Victor tore himself away from his girlfriend and smirked at his friend's new love interest.

"That's not what I heard from Dick. He told me that you guys went out Friday and since he came back performing the 'walk of shame' into work, I'd say it went _pretty_ _well_." The entire table gaped at the redhead, who shook her head at once in hopes that her friends wouldn't think badly of her.

"It's not what you think-"

"Oh, come on, Kor," Garfield chuckled, "There's no harm in having a healthy sex life." To add to his comment, he squeezed his arm tighter around Rachel, who promptly rolled her violet eyes.

"Like _you_ can talk, Gar."

"Yeah!" Sarah agreed with the animal lover a little too loudly, "We don't care if you've been sleeping with Dick!"

"I'm _not_ having _sex_ with him!" Kory exclaimed heatedly. The table froze, nervously sharing glances before Rachel stepped in.

"Well, no matter what you're doing- or _not_ doing- with him, I'm happy that you've moved on from Weston. It's about damn time, Kory."

"Thank you, Rachel." No one missed the acidity that lingered in their friend's tone.

"So, Kor, what _did_ you guys do on your date?"

"Dick took me to Coney Island," Her green eyes danced in the light of the blue Ellipse droplight from above, "Truthfully, when he told me of the location's name, I thought we would be going to some strange ice cream shop, but it ended up being a glorious miniature theme park."

As Sarah opened her mouth to inquire whether or not the night had ended in more than a simple goodnight kiss, the music's thundering tempo increased, signaling a change in song, and suddenly, both girls were swept away by their boyfriends. Kory quickly lost sight of the four as Victor practically shoved them into the middle of the dance floor. Alone with her thoughts for the first time since she'd arrived, Kory downed the last of her drink and considered going home to feed Silkie and prepare for her morning class. She'd never found the 'club scene' as interesting or fun as her companions.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" A voice to her right caused her to jump with surprise. A beautiful ebony-haired woman stood at the head of the table, twisting the phone in her hand nervously. "Sarah asked me to meet her here for a few drinks and told me her friends would be sitting in the back of the club. You… are her friend, yes?"

"Oh, yes, I am Kory Anders, Sarah's friend. The rest of them are out there on the dance floor." The woman smiled knowingly and slipped into Sarah's seat.

"It does not surprise me one bit. I heard that Victor is quite the dancer." Kory laughed at this comment because if anyone had ever seen him dance, they would know he was everything but talented.

"I suppose you could compare his moves to that of a robot. The music may move him, but it moves him in all the _wrong_ ways." The women chuckled in unison until the newcomer's eyes widened apologetically, the brown irises sparkling against the light above.

"Forgive me, Kory, but I never formally introduced myself. I am Cahaya, Sarah's friend from Boston," The two women shook hands across the table, "She dragged me down here once she heard I was finishing up my Master's in Linguistics and decided that I deserved some more of the teasement since I have not fully captured the American dialect so well, yet."

"You are not from here?" Cahaya shook her head politely.

"No, my sister and I moved to Boston in 2006, after the tsunami hit our home in Indonesia."

"I'm terribly sorry, Cahaya." The dark-haired woman sighed knowingly and the large amount of bangles around her wrists clinked and jangled when she raised her hands in a comfortable gesture.

"It is all right. No harm was done to myself and I am happy for that. What about you? You look as if you are not from here, as well, unless you are one of those 'Jersey' people I hear so much about."

"Trust me, I'm not. I am from a small country called Tamaran." Cahaya's eyes widened.

"When did you move here? Was it before or after the-"

"Cahaya!" Sarah squealed as she reached the table and pounced on top of her friend, who patted the blonde haired woman's back politely. "You two should come dance with us! It's a _blast_!" Kory wanted to point out that dancing was not exactly her 'thing,' but there was no trying to back out of it now with Sarah's arm wrapped around hers so tightly.

\/

Dick walked the path of a killer. He paced around the room, moving to run his hand along things he believed a killer would have touched, would have looked at and taken a great interest in. Did the Felon ever think of using the rusty saw blade in the corner or did he need to have everything to merely not fall into place, but for him to control where it landed.

Disturbed by the movement of the detective, a slimy wharf rat scrambled out of its hiding place and scurried along the walls of the warehouse and back into the sheer, inky darkness. This was the place a psychopath had chosen for an innocent woman to die. What were her eyes on in her last moments?

Dick glanced around, hoping there had been something that would have kept her at some level of peace, even as she most likely knew what was going to happen. There, slipping through the cracks in the roof, was the dying sunset. It cast an ethereal glow along the ceiling and to the far wall, the orange glow bouncing against the metallic coating.

If Melinda's time of death was correct- which it always was- that meant the girl most likely witnessed the sun setting before she perished at the hands of the madman.

"Who did this to you?" He spoke aloud for the time since he'd arrived nearly thirty minutes ago, "Who brought you to this horrid place and took you away, Tara?" They didn't deserve to be called by their fictional doppelganger's name, the one the Felon _forced_ them to be. Those girls were still _people_, they still had friends and family and a life. Or they did until the Felon stepped in and blew it all away- just like the fox blowing away the home of those three little pigs.

Dick's question received nothing but the choking of a boat's motor far off into the distance and the call of a stray seagull near the wharf. And when the warehouse spoke no more, Dick pulled himself away and out the door to his car.

The seagull he had heard inside was seated on the top of his hood, grooming himself and snapping his beak at the salty wind. Seeing the dark form stalking towards him, he gave a moaning call and took to the skies, sweeping around the edge of the harbor before disappearing into the churning waves.

\/

Dancing stopped being fun once Kory felt a hand on her waist, pawing at the area where her top met her skirt. She whirled around to show the animal just _where_ he could put his hands when she came face-to-face with a badge. For a moment, her heart skipped a beat, thinking her newfound detective had located her and wanted to dance. However, a quick glance up and she felt the disappointment all the way through her.

"Can I help you?" She snarled at the young man in front of her.

"Hey, now, don't be like that. I was just-"

"Touching me inappropriately when you had no right?" The man narrowed his eyes at her and fought to be heard over the pounding music.

"All I wanted was a chance to-"

"Brandon?" Victor called above the music, "What are you doing here, man?" Brandon's gaze drifted from Kory to his co-worker.

"Thought I would try out a new scene. The Palladium filled up fast with Bruce Wayne and the other socialites of Gotham." Victor rolled his eyes and tugged the man closer.

"Since you have trouble getting some things through that thick skull of yours, I'll let you in on one thing: the girl you were drooling over is the one Dick's been talking about." The agent's heartbeat quickened and his eyes darted around the room for the elusive detective. Had Dick seen all of that? Would he have his ass handed to him right here, right _now_ or would Dick wait until Monday when he had a chance to worry about it the entire weekend?

"Shit. You serious?"

"Dead. You might wanna go apologize fast before _she_ hands your ass to you. Dick told me she's an instructor up at his gym." Brandon glanced back over to the woman in question, who still had her arms crossed defensively against her chest and a pissed-off expression marring her gorgeous face.

"Listen, I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were dating someone."

"And if I weren't? Would you have still tried to frisk me like some kind of animal in heat?"

"…probably." He admitted sheepishly.

"At least you are truthful. I will not inform Dick of this incident, because I'm sure you like your job, correct?" Brandon nodded furiously. "Then you may 'put the moves' on someone else."

Before the current song even had time to change, Kory's quick glance around the club told him that Brandon was hitting on Cahaya, who seemed to be both enjoying it and a little intimidated by the hand he placed upon her arm. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Kory noted that it was nearly one-thirty in the morning and she was to be at work at nine. She quickly bid her goodbyes to her friends and headed out the door before realizing that since Komille had borrowed her car, Kory would have to walk the ten or so blocks to the nearest subway station.

Stepping out of her heels, she deemed that she would rather have glass in her feet than twist her ankle falling into a pothole. Thus she began her trek down the 'Gotham Strip' as the locals called it.

A few blocks from Yankee Bitch, she dutifully noted the black SUV pulling up to the barren curb ahead of her. For a moment, she paused, having watched too many crime shows that always showed innocent young women being abducted into the backseat of a dark model car.

"Kory?"

"Dick?" Narrowing her eyes, she made out his attractive features heading towards her.

"Why are you _barefoot_?"

"Why are you _here_?"

"Uh… well, I happened to swing by the club because I heard you were there, but Victor said you left a couple minutes ago, so I was headed home and… saw you. Alone on the sidewalk." His blue eyes traveled down her again, "Barefoot."

"My heels are quite painful."

"Would you like a ride home?" She beamed happily and moved forward to press her lips against his cheek lightly, the same as she had on their date.

"I would love that, Dick."

**AN: Chapter Four: "I Want You" by Savage Garden / "Gone Away" by Lucy Schwartz / "Radiowave" by Leslie Mills**

**Housemouse: A sissy; someone afraid to go on patrol**

**DAS: Dead at the scene (Thanks, Star of Airdrie, for the correction!)**

**No, they didn't have sex, either. I wouldn't make our little Kory dive into the deep end of the pool on a first date. But they **_**are**_** adults, so passing out and spending the night at another person's house is acceptable. **

**You know the drill. **


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hmm… so, my fellow FanFictioners, who do you think the Felon is? Someone we haven't met yet? Or someone we have? I've laid an Easter egg or two out, but nothing major. Perhaps you'll have an idea by the end of this chapter. **

**I dedicate this chapter to my Dad, who turned 57 today. Happy birthday, Bruce Wayne!**

After three weeks with no other leads and no new bodies, the precinct was beginning to fall back into their normal routine of arresting burglars and meth addicts.

By the second week of December, the two had fallen into the comfortable title of boyfriend and girlfriend. And even though Dick knew he should be worrying more about the Felon, the newfound relationship he was slowly building with Kory was making its way to the front of his mind more often than his job. Besides, he knew that the guys at the stationhouse were glad that he wasn't there from dawn to dusk for once. Usually Dick objected to change, but this transformation that was occurring… he had to admit that he rather enjoyed it.

This week's date included two tickets to the Gotham Knight's last home football game and two warm seats in the skyboxes at the top of the stadium. Kory gasped and pressed her face against the pristine glass that overlooked the crowds and field below.

"Dick, who on Earth did you sleep with to get these seats?" She took the glass of chilled champagne he handed her and sipped lightly, her green eyes still glued to the grass where the team was warming up.

"Let's just say I have some connections to the boss."

"The 'boss'?" She cast him that cute quizzical expression again and reminded him that although they were dating, he hadn't told her everything she needed to know. As fate would have it, the boss happened to stroll through the door with his gorgeous girlfriend, Diana Prince, at his side.

"Bruce, this is Kory Anders, Kory, this is-"

"Bruce Wayne?" Kory's voice squeaked at the sight of the mogul and she cleared it at once, repeating, "Bruce Wayne, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Her hand tingled lightly as the billionaire's lips connected with her skin. To her right, Dick's jaw tightened at the motion, but he reframed from letting the vile words he was thinking spill out of his mouth.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Anders," Bruce's smirk grew deeper, "Dick has told me so much about you."

"Really?" The redhead eyed her boyfriend with interest, to which he responded by shrugging, as if it didn't matter that he knew Mr. Wayne _personally_ and watched _football_ with him. "I cannot say the same, but I'm sure Richard will fill me in on the details later."

"Yeah. Later." Dick agreed wholly. Kory nudged her boyfriend playfully and thanked Bruce before moving over towards the expansive windows to introduce herself to Diana.

"Richard?"

"Shut up."

"Cute."

"Shut up, Bruce."

"I meant her. You always had a thing for redheads." The detective practically growled at his adopted father, eyes narrowed spitefully.

"_Shut up_, you prick. Kory's not Barbara."

"Oh, clearly. Let's hope you don't run this one out of town, either." Kory glanced from Diana back towards the two men who were now glowering at each other.

"Is something wrong with those two? They do not look like friends."

"Friends?" Diana chuckled, "Far from it. They're being their usual father-son duo. They always complain about the other, even though they're so alike that it's creepy, especially since they're not related by blood."

"Father and son?"

"Yes, Dick is Bruce's adopted son, from the age of eight. Didn't you know?" Kory shook her head and eyed their forms, wondering why she hadn't recognized it before.

"No, I did not."

\/

When halftime rolled around, Dick knew something was wrong. Even though she cheered at the touchdowns and thirty-yard passes, Kory had been strangely silent, which was something he was not used to. Usually, she would be chatting his ear off about everything she understood and questioning him to death about the things she didn't. He admitted that he liked listening and teaching her, but now she wasn't speaking at all, keeping her eyes trained solely on Gotham University's marching band.

The moment Diana and Bruce left to socialize, Dick grabbed the massive remote control and activated the bamboo panels to slide over the windows, shielding them from the outside world.

"Dick, why did you-"

"Kory, what's wrong?" She seemed startled by the question.

"What do you mean? Nothing is wrong; everything is wonderful." The disappointment in her answer must have shown on his face, because she continued, "Okay, so everything is not wonderful."

"Did I do something? I'm really sorry if I did, because sometimes I say things and I don't mean for them-" She shook her head, a shy smile gracing her lips.

"You did nothing. I was merely… lost in thought."

"About what?" The door creaked open and voices could be heard from the hallway, Bruce and Diana coming back from wherever they'd been, and Dick removed the panels from the windows. Below, the marching band stepped off the field, and the announcer began remarking on the opposing team, the Metropolis Metros.

"Don't worry, Richard. We will talk later." To drive her point across, she laced her fingers through his on the armrest and laid her head against his shoulder. She was right, he knew. Whatever she needed to talk about was best behind closed doors, _without_ Bruce present.

\/

"Shh, my darling, please no talking."

"Please let me go!" The princess begged again, her plump lips straining against the gag around her mouth. Hands gripped her head; fingers tugging the cloth back down, and prepared another syringe. Jasmine felt her world tilt as the blood in her veins thickened. The putrid smell of wet fur and damp mud filled her nostrils. She gagged, but the cloth remained taught. "Please." She moaned pleadingly through the barrier.

"Don't worry, Jasmine, you need not fret."

"My name is not Jasmine." The drugs were taking a toll on her mind now. What _was_ her name? She tried a few out in her mind, but she was no Katie, Serena, or Caroline.

"_Yes_, it is." The voice seemed a bit angered by her objection. "Now, hush, or you will wake him."

"Who? Where are we?" The strong arms wrapped around her, picking up her up as if she were a bride. "My name is not Jasmine." She needed the person to understand this. She could not die as someone else. "What is my name?" Another sting shot up her arm and as her heartbeat quickened, what was left of her vision slackened and danced with dense jungle leaves. "What… is my… name?" Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, but met cloth. What was on her mouth? Who was carrying her? In the distance, a low grumbling sounded. She fought back a giggle. Someone was _very_ hungry.

"Here, kitty, kitty. Your princess has come back for you." Another stomach rumbled.

"Kitty?" Jasmine called, moving her hand around to search for her cat.

"Yes, princess, kitty. He is going to take you to the others." The arms left her body and the smell of wet fur and nature hit her again.

"What is my name?" She pleaded again. She needed to know. The voice giggled softly, though, and by the crunching of twigs, she knew it was moving away. "What is my name?" From behind her, a large object lumbered and snorted out a steamy breath. "Kitty? Kitty, what is my name?" Something nudged against her neck, inhaling loudly, and a long, foreign wet object scraped across the sensitive skin there. "Please. Please tell me." The kitty growled- where did the stomach go that was just here? - and she swallowed thickly, trying her best to move away.

\/

"Thirty yards out, ladies and gents, and only one minute to go. With the score so close, it's anybody's game!" Kory's hand gripped Dick's tightly as the two watched the field intensely. The JumbroTron's time slowly ticked down as the players picked themselves up and began running the ball. The Metros anticipated the Knights' plan of a quarterback sneak so as soon as the center snapped the ball and the offensive line began to rush forward, the defensive line surged back and around, heading straight for the ball.

\/

"I am sorry. I am sorry. So sorry, kitty." She needed to find the voice. It had held her; it had kept her away from the kitty. Or had it brought her to him? "What is my name?" Jasmine exclaimed and frustratedly tried to move once more. Her limbs felt like Jell-O, though, and the slightest motion made her brain fuzzier. Her blurry vision caught the large orb of white light above and for the first time, she saw the kitty's yellow eyes shine hauntingly. "Kitty," Jasmine crooned one last time, "What is my name?"

The jungle plants around her shook with anticipation from the night's wind. The white light illuminated the yellow eyes that began to move closer. The tiger looked up momentarily from his meal to see the second figure moving in closely. He growled, barring his bloody teeth to keep the figure away. A single _thunk_ and a skid were heard. Then all was silent and the tiger returned to the mysterious meat laid before him.

\/

The quarterback yelled to his team and suddenly, the ball was whisked out of his hands and was heading towards the end zone. "Wally West can't be outrun! That ball is gone!" The Knights' fans roared as their famed running back scoured a touchdown with less than thirty seconds to spare. "Touchdown Gotham!"

\/

"What is my _name_?" There was an instant of unbearable pain near her shoulder and when she looked down, she could see the white light reflecting off a pool of shimmery liquid. _Go to sleep_, the ripples whispered and she obliged, succumbing to the inky darkness as another wave of pain rolled over her delicate frame.

\/

Kory whooped and cheered from her seat, almost knocking the poor server, Chelsey, over in the process, and watched in elation as the team flooded the field in celebration. She flashed her grin at her boyfriend and they leaned in simultaneously for a congratulatory kiss. Soon after, they thanked and big goodbye to Bruce and Diana, making their way to the private parking garage underneath the stadium.

"The game was magnificent, Dick. Thank you for taking me." He beamed and opened the door for her, allowing her to climb in and situate herself.

"You're welcome. I'm curious, though: how _do_ you know so much about football?" They pulled onto the main drag and Dick settled in his seat, knowing that soon the floodgates would open and they would be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

"Before we came to America, we tried to find things that were of 'America's past time.' Although many websites claimed the baseball game was, I did not find it as interesting as this 'football.'"

"We?"

"My sister, Komille, and I." Kory answered shortly, keeping her eyes on the car ahead of them.

"Where does your sister live now?"

"She owns an interior design company, called Centauri Design, downtown so her loft is not far from there." Dick was surprised at this information, so she began asking _him_ the questions, hoping to move away from the current conversation. "You have heard of it?"

"Yes, actually. Bruce purchased some lighting for the aquarium he's building and I had to go and pick it up a couple weeks ago. The woman I met with didn't have your same hair or eye color, though."

"That is actually what I wanted to talk to you about, Richard."

"Your sister's looks?"

"No. Or, at least, not too that extent," Her fingers danced across each other, linking and twisting nervously, "It occurred to me that although we have been doing the dating for almost a month, neither of us know much about the other."

"Oh, ye have little faith, Kory. I'm the World's Greatest Detective. I know more about you than you do yourself." He winked and grinned cheekily. The half-smile he received in return told him that she appreciated his comic relief, but this was not the time.

"I'm serious. You may know my present and possibly my future, but there is much to be discussed about my past. And yours, as well." Dick cleared his throat in an attempt to stall because for once in his life, he had nothing to say. "I apologize if the idea makes you uncomfortable. It is disappointing, though, that I leaned you were related to Mr. Wayne from Diana, and not you yourself." She studied him closely and he panicked, knowing how well she could read him. He was the government-trained official- _he_ should be the only one good at reading people. "Is there a reason you did not inform me of this fact before?"

"Yeah. Kinda. Maybe." Her dark eyebrow raised in humor. "Listen, how about we get out of this pain-in-the-ass traffic jam and grab a bite to eat? Then, we can swap stories and-" The familiar ring caused the couple to startle. "Detective Grayson." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as he sighed and it became apparent their newborn plans had already fallen through. "At the zoo? How on Earth did- yeah. Mel there yet? Okay, _okay_, Brandon. I'll be there as soon as I can. What about Marty? All right, I _know_. Just get the damn thing put down before it mauls the squints." The cell phone was tossed angrily into the console, bouncing against the leather before landing at Kory's sandaled feet.

"You are needed at work?" She began innocently as she handed his phone back.

"I'm really sorry, babe. I thought we would have the entire night to, ya know, talk, but this Fairytale Felon gave us another bod- victim to work with."

"It is all right." His mind was already working on capturing the crook on tape from the webcams the zoo had recently set in every exhibit- a donation from the philanthropic Bruce Wayne. Dick held back an annoyed snort because this time, he had a reason to appreciate his father's need to spend money.

"Yeah, it is." This time, Dick may have caught the bastard.

\/

As she watched Richard pull away from the curb, she didn't feel any hope in the promises he'd made as she'd exited the Pathfinder. The words and ideas coming out of his mouth were obviously not registering with his brain. They were empty, zombie-like promises that thrived on a flurry of emotions and adrenaline, which Kory supposed her detective was experiencing as he headed to the crime scene. She turned and faced the cold wind before his taillights disappeared, and headed straight for her apartment building. Her mother had taught her that it brought bad luck to watch someone until they were out of sight. After depositing her things on the counter and replenishing Silkie's bowls, her dull green eyes fell upon the blinking machine on the corner of the bar.

"Hey, Kory, I know this is weird but… is there any chance you've seen Cahaya today?" Kory's breath hitched as she took a seat on a stool and listened as Sarah continued, "She was supposed to drive back to Boston last night and she didn't show up for class this morning, so her sister is worried something may have happened to her. I'm hoping it's nothing big, but… anyway please, whenever you get this, could you give me a call? Thanks, Kor." Before Sarah's recording ended, Kory was picking up the phone and dialing rapidly.

\/

Dick's hands shook with disgust as he snapped another photo. Kneeling this close to the body, he could practically feel the blood seeping through his boots, and he felt for a moment that he wasn't going to be the only one tossing his food. Several junior members of the forensics team- or squints, as Dick fondly called them- were already depositing their dinners outside of the cage.

"Soames?"

"Yeah, boss?" Brandon answered, his voice seemingly hollow as he averted his eyes from the mangled corpse.

"I want to kill this fucker."

"You and me both." A voice came from the liaison's right and both officers turned to see a blonde-haired man with shockingly forest green eyes standing a few feet away. "I'm Garfield, the veterinarian here at the zoo." The detective and the vet shook hands.

"You see anything?" Garfield shook his head.

"No. I was at home when the main office called me in, saying I needed to get down here to put Rajah down."

"Rajah?"

"The tiger. He was shipped in here from Baghdad after the war started. He's named after the tiger in that Disney movie _Aladdin_." Dick glanced over to where the body of the Bengal tiger lay slumped over and covered in flecks of blood. While he felt no remorse for the animal, he knew that all the blame was on the true killer- the Felon. Without him, the tiger never would have been tempted to devour the woman. "Whatever bastard put this woman in here might as well have killed Rajah, too. The media would've had a frenzy if we kept him alive, so we acted quickly. Of course, you can expect a couple activists to show up at your stationhouse."

"Yeah, our chief's been alerted to release a statement already. I'm sorry you had to put him down." Garfield sighed and nodded, his eyes darting towards the body of the victim.

"I'm sorry for her, too. Couldn't have been a very pleasant way to go."

"No. It wasn't." His phone vibrated in his pocket and he expected his chief on the other line, barking orders to seal the entrances to the zoo so the cameras couldn't get in. "Hello?" Dick snapped. The Felon obviously wanted them to know he wasn't done yet- made obvious by the barely-discernable body in the tiger's den and the gleaming _Aladdin_ book a few feet away.

"I know this is a bad time, but my friend appears to be missing." Dick was shocked to find it was his girlfriend instead of the chief, but his attitude remained the same.

"So? Kory, listen, I'm sorry but this is a serious matter and-"

"I _know_, Dick. The way you accelerated away after you dropped me off made that perfectly clear." He almost winced at her tone, "I am calling because I fear the worst for my friend."

"What do you want me to do, Kory?"

"Cahaya is twenty-six and she comes from the country of Indonesia, so her skin is extremely tan- almost like mine- and her hair is a deep, chocolate brown, the same-"

"-color as her eyes?" Even though the torso and below was a mangled heap of tissues and organs, the eyes remained unscarred, though were starting to sink back into the skull.

"Yes." The heavy silence felt almost too thick to cut through. Marty was the one who was good with people, the one who handled tragedies like they were nothing. Dick could count the number of times he'd broken the terrible news to family on one hand. To him, this was a change, and one of the worst. "Then, she is...?"

"I'm staring at her right now, Kory. I'm sorry."

**AN: **

**Chapter Five: "Speeding Cars" by Imogen Heap**

**If you'll notice, Cahaya is the first victim who is not a DC Comic character. I borrowed the "skyboxes" term from what the University of Tennessee calls their presidential rooms above Neyland Stadium, which I only found out from my sister (who had a slight cameo in this chapter!), who works as a caterer for UT. Thanks, sis! **

**Also borrowed the term "squints" from my favorite television show, "Bones." There might be another allusion to Bones in an upcoming chapter, too. **

**Interesting tidbit: My father's name **_**is**_** Bruce Wayne, and no, I'm not kidding here. I asked my dad why he didn't dress up like a bat and fight crime the way nature intended. "I'm only afraid of rats. Would you want to be related to someone who dressed up like a rodent and fought crime?" I told him he had a good point. **

**If you've read through this incredibly long author's note, then gracias, and you know the drill. **


	6. Chapter 6

Breaking the news to Sarah had been tough, but luckily Kory didn't have all the answers, and as a result, they didn't talk long. Sarah promised to call Kory with any information she received from the police and with that, they bid goodbye. Kory remained on her bed, gripping her pillow tightly and waiting for word that the body Dick dealt with _wasn't_ Cahaya. From beside her, Silkie raised his head and growled, springing from the bed and into the hallway.

"What is it?" Kory called and received nothing but another growl. "Silkie, calm down." In a flash, the malamute was gone and racing towards the front door. "Silkie!" She chased after the animal and pulled on his collar, yanking him away from the door. The dog continued to bark, though, even as she shut him up inside the bathroom.

Tiptoeing back to the living room, she pressed her body against the door and peered through the eyehole. Nothing but an empty hallway. Still positive that Silkie's uproar wasn't in vain, she unlocked the bolt and peeked out. The hallway still remained empty and there were so visible signs that someone had been there.

Faintly, Kory could hear the ringing of her cell phone in the bedroom and she headed towards the noise, shutting her apartment door back with a _click_. Giving up momentarily on the mystery, she headed back for her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kory, how are you holding up?" Dick's voice calmed the nerves growing inside of her, but the curiosity remained for what Silkie had been responding to.

"I, uh…" A thump resonated again from the living room, "I'm not sure." No longer focusing on her wary boyfriend, she repeated her earlier actions, this time throwing open the door with a _bang_.

"What was that sound- _wait_- you're not sure?"

"Yeah." She muttered as she scoped out the interior of the elevator. Absolutely nothing. As she made her way back to her home, a sharp creak echoed. Less than twenty feet away, a coated figure was moving unstably towards her. _The stairs_, Kory mentally bashed herself upside the head at the horrible detective-work.

"I'm really sorry that it was your friend. I wish-"

"Shh!" Dick's eyebrows shot up. Was he that bad at consolation?

"Kory, what's going on?" He could hear her inhale sharply as another loud sound- possibly a door slamming- was heard again and his heartbeat quickened. "Babe?"

"Richard…" Kory's breathless tone came, "I- there is someone outside my apartment." Indistinctly, he could hear Silkie barking in the background.

"Don't move. I'll be there in ten. Lock the doors and go back into your bedroom and do _not_ hang up." Knowing that he wasn't merely being an over-protective boyfriend, Kory obeyed.

In his Pathfinder, Dick switched on the undercover lights and siren, turning sharply onto Kory's street. With a screech of the tires, he was out and heading up the building's stairs within a few seconds. "I'm on the third level. Has anything happened?" The moment he heard another voice, the lines of the stairs became a blur. The adrenaline coursed through his veins and he gulped in oxygen to assure a speedy ascent. "Kory, answer me!" Flinging the stairwell door open, he pulled out his gun and moved to her apartment. The door was cracked and two separate voices flooded out between the slit.

In one motion, he burst into the room, kicked the door shut, and trained his gun on the mysterious figure. "Freeze! Put your hands behind your head! _Now_!" The man stumbled slightly and then surprisingly obeyed the detective's commands.

"This your new toy, cutie?" Dick fought back a feral growl and retrieved a pair of cuffs from his jacket. Kory gasped and flung her arm out to stop him.

"What are you doing?"

"Did he bust down the door?" The freshly splintered wood near the door frame told him all he needed to know.

"Well… _yes_, but why are you-"

"Name?" Dick barked and the man, clearly intoxicated, replied flippantly with,

"Bond. James Bond."

"_Name_." A painful grimace split across his face.

"Wes Redd, you _prick_, and I haven't done a thing wrong so stop tightening those damn cuffs!" Withholding a sadistic laugh, the detective continued.

"What are you doing here?"

"Came to patch things up with- sheesh, buddy, I oughta sue for police brutality!"

"Kory's taken. Next question: why were you stalking her?" Wes rolled his eyes dramatically and mumbled something about being too afraid to knock on her door. "So you decided to make a better impression by breaking in?" Dick chuckled darkly, "Here's my advice: next time, don't even _think_ about coming over here."

"Ahh, so you _are_ the new toy. Here's _my_ advice," Wes mocked in a deep voice, "You're barking up the wrong tree, officer." His eyes traveled to the form of his ex who was standing nervously to the side, watching with large green eyes at the scene playing out. "Kory here is a little prude. Won't give it up for no man, so I suggest you-" Wes let out a yowl and dropped to his knees as the metal dug into the thin skin of his wrists.

"Wes Redd, you are under arrest for breaking and entering. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and _will_ be used against you in a court of-"

"Aww, cutie, don't let this prick lock me up." Wes bat his bloodshot eyes towards the redhead. Kory scowled at her ex-boyfriend and watched as he was carted out by her current boyfriend before she could even begin to reason with him. Exhausted from all of the action, Kory dropped down onto her couch and drifted fitfully into sleep, lulled by the muffled barking of her dog.

\/

As soon as Dick returned from the police station, though, Kory had lit a fire within and seeing him kindled it with a rush of heat and harsh words.

"I'm not pressing charges against Wes." She watched his blue eyes flash from sympathetic to enraged. Even if Dick Grayson didn't want the world inside his head, Kory could always look into those cerulean irises and find the truth lurking in their depths. This instant was no different.

"Are you fucking serious? He broke into your _house_! He could have _killed_ you!" Astonishment caressed her features.

"Kill me? You believe he is some sort of maniac? You do not even _know_ him."

"Damn it, Kory, don't give me that. All I know was that you answered the phone, told me someone was outside, then you wouldn't _talk_ to me while I'm flying down here to save you-"

"I am not a damsel, Richard! You are the one who raced out here on your noble steed!"

"Bullshit!" Silkie, now free from the confines of the bathroom, snarled at the ebony-haired man, the one he thought he could trust, but now ended up like all the others- yelling at his mistress and upsetting her dearly. Kory inhaled raggedly, pulling her thoughts together to try and reason with him.

She knew Dick had good intentions, that he hadn't flown over here and played cops and robbers for nothing more than the thrill. He was protecting her and she _was_ thankful, but she needed him to understand that the issue could have been solved without legal means.

"Richard, Weston is not violent. He is a drunken ex."

"That busted down your door and God knows what he was going to do-"

"I _know_ what he was trying to do, Dick. I'm not completely infantile. All he wanted was for me to give him a second chance, to which I assured him I would not be giving him one." She hoped this would help calm Richard down but it only seemed to stoke his own fire.

"And if it _hadn't_ been him?"

"I will not argue such pointless topics with you because there is no sense in doing so." The pacing across her floor stopped as he spun and actually faced her.

"You don't get it, do you? What if it had been the Fairytale Felon? What if… if he came here and hunted you down?" She visibly flinched, her slender fingers curling in and up to her chest.

"You believe he is after me, then?"

"_Yes_! For God's sake, Kory, are you that _blind_? You could be _next_!" The change in her demeanor was so sudden, Dick wasn't sure if she'd ever been anything but purely enraged. And all of it was searing straight towards him, her anger like a river of molten lava pouring down upon him.

"Get out."

"Listen, I'm sor-"

"I do not _care_ what you are feeling. I said get out." Heavy, guilt-ridden eyes stared lifelessly as she flung open the splintered door.

"Kory, please don't-" Her head rose defiantly.

"Out. I will not ask again." Under the spell of her fury, Dick trudged into the hallway and barely registered the ear-splitting sound of the closing door. He stood silent for a moment, keeping his sights on the beige-colored wall opposite him.

_Let's hope you don't run this one out of town, either_. Bruce's words weighed thickly on him, acting as heavy anchors and dragging him down the bottomless pit of frustration that leaked from his pores. His fist connected with the beige wall. Tiny whimpers floated underneath the door and with each one, he grew smaller and smaller. His chest tightened and with each breath, the next one was harder to inhale. When he finally moved to take the elevator down, his fingers felt too light and insignificant to press the button. The only thing to bring him back to size was unfortunately trapped in Wonderland, too, crying an ocean of tears as Alice had done.

\/

Several hours after his mistress had fought with the man, Silkie awoke to the clickety-clack of the bright lap machine. Silently, he crawled over to where she sat on the couch and placed his head on the open space of her lap.

"Hey, boy. I'll be done in a little while. Go back to sleep, my _bumgorf_." A low whine emitted from his throat and she laughed it away. It was the first time he'd heard her laugh all night and to even him it was obviously forced. Humans were the easiest creatures to read, whether they knew it or not. He could smell the waves of pain, guilt, and a touch of anxiety rolling off of her. Before, he felt the warmth between the dark-haired man and her. When they were raising voices, though, a deep fear filled the room. No matter what emotions they had been hoping to project, the true ones leaked out beneath their hard exteriors.

Knowing that nothing could be done until the man came back without that dangerous level of blind fear inside, Silkie settled on the cushion and dosed off.

Google was not helping, Kory declared to herself as she typed passionately on her laptop. The clock in the corner read two-thirty. The schedule on her fridge listed she needed to be in at seven sharp. Too bad it was too late to call in one of the other instructors- and the ones she did know would be too trashed to replace her. The need for information overpowered her rational mind. Since she'd thrown Dick out, her eyes had been glued to the news reports the Gotham City Police Department's official website provided. And although the Google searches were coming up with the same websites, she continued the search to understand the mysterious and elusive killer. Kory wanted to know the Felon, inside and out.

\/

The pink-haired receptionist watched intriguingly as the handsome detective made his way around the gym, his usually charming smile set in a grim line.

"Anything I can help you with, Mr. Grayson?" Kole called to him as he passed her desk a fourth time. His blue eyes shot up from the phone in his hand.

"Did Kory come in today?"

"Hmm… no, actually. She should have been here at seven, but I haven't seen her clock in yet."

"Thank you." Kole nodded wordlessly as the detective sprinted out the door, leaving his jacket and bag behind.

"You're… welcome?"

\/

The consistent knocking on her door was what finally brought Kory back to consciousness. Dragging the laptop off of her and stumbling to the door, she wasn't prepared for the attack she received as soon as the thing opened.

"Oh, thank God," came the voice of the tight arms that were coiled around her torso. Blinking twice and firing up some neurons in her brain allowed Kory to pull back from the lung-crushing embrace and realize who it was.

"Richard? What are you doing here?" Silkie lifted his head off the couch and inhaled the sweet scent of relief.

"When you didn't show up at the gym this morning, I- I drove straight here to make sure you were okay," His blinding smile brightened the room, "You… are okay, right?" Taking in a deep breath to stabilize and sort out her thoughts, she nodded.

"Yes, Dick, I simply fell asleep as I- I am okay."

"With… all of that stuff that happened last night?" The wariness didn't miss her ears.

"There are some things that need to be discussed- at a later time- but _yes_," Her hands found his and she laced them together, wove the two into one, and brought them to her lips, "We are okay." Glad she had taken a deep breath earlier, Kory squealed lightly as he crushed his lips to hers. Responding deftly, she pressed her body against his, nudging him until his back smacked the door.

"I'm sorry, Kory." His words caressed her lips as they dove for another kiss. "I really am. If you want to drop the charges, it's your decision. Marty already released him from the holding cell. I shouldn't have acted the way I did." Kory answered by running a hand down his sweat-stained tee, feeling the muscles with her dancing fingers. He gasped in her mouth and dug his hands into her hips, dragging her closer to him.

He needed her. For strength through this rollercoaster of murders and for the attachment to another human being he'd craved for so long and denied himself. In his line of work, finding someone that accepted you wouldn't be home every night and follow through with every plan you made was hard. He'd tried before, many years ago, with his longtime friend Barbara, but she couldn't stand the unknown; if he was merely sitting at the precinct doing paperwork or out bleeding in the street, his life in the hands of a deranged criminal. So they'd broken it off before the marriage dance even began and Dick hadn't participated in anything more than a couple dates since.

When he met the fiery redhead with that innocent persona of hers, though, he found himself tearing down those rules and paving new ones. "You should probably head to work. They might be angry you didn't call in sick." He reasoned once he found his voice. Underneath him on the bed and still clothed, Kory giggled and shrugged. "Enjoy your day off, then." In one fluid movement, he was off of her and at her bedroom door, the suggestive smirk remaining on his gorgeous face as she eyed him curiously.

She needed him. For the relationship she had longed for; the romance her mother had talked about once upon a time. A fairytale romance, her mother had said, one where you think you're going to wake up any minute and realize it's all been a dream. Personally, Kory wanted to stay in this comatose state if it meant she could stay with Richard. While the term soul mate frightened her, she couldn't doubt that it seemed the two of them had a deeper connection, one more than the average couple. Sure, they didn't know every little thing- or several colossal things- about one another, but they had time. They would always have time to discuss and plan, to laugh and dance, to kiss and tell.

After being discarded so many times by the people in her life, it felt wonderful to have another person worry over her well-being. All this time she deemed herself invisible because no one cared, but Dick had broken through that smoke screen long ago. Warmth traveled up her body. He saw her. Now, she wanted him to see another side she'd kept hidden.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Gym. Gotta exercise to keep up this sexy bod," The emerald eyes that were focused solely on him grew darker as he flexed, "And since my trainer is being _lazy_, I'll have to do it alone."

"What a shame. I was envisioning the most glorious morning." Teasingly, her tank top was peeled off and Dick watched hungrily as she reached for the bra, the tight muscles in her arms flexing as she moved. "We could have done some exercising of our own." One lacy black strap was lowered down the sun-kissed skin of her shoulder. All teasing words and sarcastic comebacks drained out of him as the other strap fell, landing on the supple swell of her chest.

Giving into her seduction, his shirt was off and on the floor at the same time her bra met the lavender sheets. Kory laughed as her boyfriend pounced from the doorway. Together, they rolled into the center of the queen canopy bed. Lips found places to kiss. Hands found hard lines and silky skin. Dark emeralds sought equally darkened blues before both closed and let the sense of touch guide the way.

**AN: Merely an intense make out session. Moving too fast? I'm not sure because being only 17, I do not have the feelings or morals of a nearly thirty year-old. However, it was meant to be a passionate relief from all of the drama and I figured I needed to let out some of their pent-up sexual frustration out. **

**Next chapter's key words:**

**Storybook, shopping, playboy, admissions, and funeral. **

**You know the drill: review!**

**Chapter Six: "She is the Sunlight" by Trading Yesterday**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Disney, including the book mentioned (because it's real, in fact) or the princesses. I also don't own National Geographic, sadly.**

**I'll be selfish and dedicate this chapter to myself, since it's **_**my**_** birthday! Go me for living seventeen years! **

It was a cold day in Boston; a day where the trees shivered under the weight of their frozen branches and people walked with their heads down, glaring at the cold sidewalks below. If there were birds in the sky, no one would know. Then again, no one was looking to the sky that day.

In the confines of a small Muslim mosque on the outskirts of the bustling city, the family and friends of Cahaya Moh congregated on the amber-colored carpeting. Sarah, Kory, Rachel, Garfield, and Victor sat a few rows from the front, each shifting uncomfortably from the cold drop in temperature.

As the imam rambled on about the young woman's life, Kory kept her eyes on the mahogany casket, closed due to the severe injuries.

"That's her sister, Aini," Sarah was busying herself by sprouting facts and not allowing the imam's words to soak in. One of her best friends was gone, taken away in the name of a psychopath. Sarah didn't want to hear the "Cahaya was" or "she did" such and such. Why couldn't she _still_ be these things?

Kory nodded whenever Sarah stopped talking, feigning interest, but truly paid attention to the candlelight casting shadows around the room. She recalled the last time she had attended a funeral. Inside the coffins, however, were merely photos and letters from the loved ones, blessings and remember when's. Due to the tragic situation, there were no bodies found, so instead the people buried the memories. Kory tried to bury them, but sometimes, she caught sight of a little boy and his mother, walking along the street and the memories would resurface like a ghost from the grave.

_Never be afraid, malareal'ta. There is no such thing as ghosts_. The candlelight danced again as the imam's robes kicked up a small gust of wind. _Only lost souls, circling where their feelings are strongest. To be afraid of them is to bring them shame. We must let them circle this world for as long as they need, until they pass through._

_And if they never do?_ She could feel her mother's lips, pressing against her forehead, and the cool air invading and replacing the warmth.

_Do not fret. We all pass on when the time comes_.

"We must say goodbye now." An unfamiliar feminine voice spoke, awaking Kory's reverie. A lovely Indonesian woman with tears in her dark brown eyes motioned for the row to rise and bid farewell to her sister.

"Aini, I know how hard it must be to lose a sibling," Kory encased the woman into her arms, "I am truly sorry for your loss." Unable to speak, Aini nodded and hurried to summon the next row. Reaching the coffin, Sarah wrapped her body around it and kissed the top, whispering softly to the wood that hid her best friend. The others moved along politely, shaking the hands of Cahaya's brother and sister-in-law, before exiting the mosque. The five stood to the side with the other attendees, watching solemnly as the pallbearers began making their way to the burial site, just over the snow-covered hill next to the mosque. A line of men filed behind the coffin, marching like black-clothed soldiers.

"Why can't we see the burial?" Victor whispered into Sarah's ear as some of the men disappeared over the snowy knoll, ahead of the pallbearers.

"You can, hun. Only women aren't supposed to witness or attend a Muslim burial, so we have to stay behind."

"Yes," Aini sniffled from Sarah's side, "We women shall stay here and pray to Allah that my sister has found peace." Instead of hurrying after the train, Victor and Garfield stayed behind and watched with the rest as fat snowflakes floated onto their clothes. Rachel, who had been ordinarily quiet during the whole ordeal, spoke as the pallbearers were swallowed by the overcast horizon,

"Aren't we all?"

"All what?" She smiled sadly to her boyfriend.

"Left behind." At first no one moved, but after a moment, Kory broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Perhaps we are not stranded." A bone-chilling gust blew by, scattering Kory's red hair into single bloody ribbons. "We are merely waiting in line for our turn."

\/

Several days after Kory returned to Gotham, the couple met at a local café for lunch before Dick went back to work.

"How was the funeral?"

"Depressing," She eyed him strangely, "That is how American funerals are… correct?" He laughed at her confusion towards the question.

"Did anyone stand up and demand a paternity test?" Her green eyes widened. He laughed harder.

"No! Why would that occur?"

"I always feel like that's what Bruce's funeral will be like." Since he expected the solid punch to the arm, it didn't hurt as much as it could have.

"Richard! You are a terrible person!"

"Aww, I can't be _that_ bad."

"You are, I swear."

"And you're dating me because…?" His girlfriend feigned innocence and wrinkled her nose.

"You quite pleasing to look at."

"And?" Her nose wrinkled again.

"…I should have another reason?" While she didn't want to break the lighthearted flirting, Kory needed to turn the conversation to something a bit more serious. "It did hurt, though."

"Hmm?" She pretended to be increasingly interested in the pasta dish below her. When she didn't speak, his hand found hers and without realizing the fingers laced together. "What happened, Kory?" The situation called for a deep, soothing breath to calm the nerves jumbling about in her stomach, but she didn't answer the call. As soon as she opened her mouth, all of it came spilling out.

"Cahaya's funeral reminded me of my family's funeral." She didn't dare raise her eyes to see his reaction. What if they told her everything she needed to know? That he wasn't ready for what she needed to tell him, that he wasn't-

"Tell me." Gaining enough courage, her teary eyes locked onto his and she exhaled slowly. Somehow, someway, he knew. Maybe not what had happened per say, but he knew the pain she was holding inside. You lose the one of the most important things in the world to you and you learn how to find that same feeling inside other people. She felt the same thing when she met Cahaya many weeks ago.

"When I was sixteen, my sister decided that we needed to travel. She said it was something I needed to do before I went to college and that by the next year, I would be too worried about admissions to go anywhere." Kory bit her lip and glanced down at her plate. Dick squeezed her hand again, though, and their eyes locked again. _Go on_, his fingers tightened around hers, _tell me_. "I grew up on the island country of Tamaran- it is located in the Caribbean."

"Explains some things." Dick grinned and she nodded in agreement.

"Yes, even when I came here, I couldn't let go of the culture- never mind. That is not important. What truly matters is that when I went with Kom, we had no idea our country was in great danger. While we were away visiting relatives on a smaller island called Okara, the main volcano on our island- named _Gordania_ after the Tamaranian word for 'beast'- erupted."

Kory couldn't keep her eyes open any longer and when she closed them, she could see the wreckage inside her mind. The clips and sounds that haunted her dreams for so long were coming back in the rush of a tidal wave, drowning her in memories that she was supposed to bury with her family. "The eastern side of the island was completely destroyed, nothing but a mangled mess of scorching trees and burning homes. The ship that dropped us off had a hard time maneuvering through the water due to the smoke covering everything like a thick blanket, so Kom and I were forced to wait until the ship reached the western side.

After we found out we were homeless, that nothing was left of the palace, we stayed with my father's friend Galfore for a month or so, desperately waiting for word that our family was okay. We'd just said goodbye to them only a few weeks prior, there was no way they could be dead, seared by _Gordania_."

"Wait, Kory- did you say the palace?" Her head nodded weakly.

"Yes. That is where my sister, my brother, and I lived with our father and mother, the Grand Ruler and Grand Empress of Tamaran."

"So… you're a princess?" Dick watched with a heavy heart as his girlfriend nodded again.

"I used to be, yes. After spending several weeks in the west, we decided to disobey Galfore, and the two of us made our way to the east.

The palace was completely burned, with only bits and pieces of columns or marble left. The lava had wiped out every treasure we held dear, including our parents and little brother, Ryan. Knowing that nothing could be done- that we were not old enough to rule an entire country- Kom dealt with all of the paperwork to bring Galfore's family to reign. After six months on the island, we were itching to get off. What was the point in staying if those that you loved were not there? Galfore eventually erected another palace, but it was missing what made a house a _home_."

"I can't believe- _wow_, Kory," Dick tightened his grip around her, sliding his hands up her arms and around her shoulders, pulling her towards him over the table, "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I… I don't know if there's anything I can say…. In fact, I don't know _what_ to say."

Kory smiled, her chest thumping painfully as she continued, "Thank you, Richard. You have no idea how good it feels to relieve that weight off of my chest. I was worried that you might think badly of me, that I abandoned my country and ran away."

"Kory, you didn't abandon your country. You were right: you were too young to have so many responsibilities. To stay there would have brought you more heartache." He suddenly realized he was speaking for two people instead of one, "To stay would have reminded you of them every single day and sometimes, it's best to step away from the spotlight." Kory brightened in front of him, lighting up the immediate area as her green eyes glowed.

"My mother, Aisling, always told me- her _malareal'ta_ or _little star_- to never be afraid of the unknown, but in that moment Kom and I boarded the plane for America… I couldn't bring myself to feel brave. I had too many questions and Kom was beginning to feel agitated at my nervous state. She has always been the… better fighter, you might say, the braver one and she didn't see any reason for my distress.

Soon after we arrived, she bought a modest apartment on the coast of Maine, and once I finished high school there, I moved down to attend Syracuse University in New York, which is where I met my friend Rachel, whose boyfriend is the veterinarian you met. After I began working on my Master's degree in Commercial Photography, my sister contacted me and begged me to come to Gotham after I graduated. Even though I wasn't sure if we could return to the way things were before we split apart, she helped me find an apartment and introduced me to one of her clients, who offered me a job at the gym."

"Photography? But… you're a yoga instructor."

"Richard, just because I have a job as an instructor doesn't mean that is my passion. Although now I can say I'm glad I took the job because I met you, it's not what I plan on doing for the rest of my life." She twirled the straw in her drink around, stirring up the ice and letting it clink softly against the glass, "I am waiting for _National Geographic_ to contact me in response to my portfolio they requested several weeks ago."

"Can I see some of your photos?" Kory chuckled lightly at his excitement.

"You already have. The ones hanging in my apartment and the photographs in the lobby of the gym are all mine. When my boss found a folder I'd accidentally left behind in the break room, she paid to have them blown up and framed." Dick's eyes glazed over for a moment and she knew he was trying to remember the interior of the lobby. Realization blossomed across his face and he flashed the all-too familiar Grayson smile.

"Those are _yours_? Kory, they're amazing! I always thought… well, I didn't really think about _who_ took them so much as _how_ they took them." He could see the inspirational-themed photographs in his mind, his favorite being the up-close picture of the black panther at the Gotham Zoo, only the cat's amber orbs staring deeply into the lens. _Focus_ was the title of the picture and for it being his favorite, Dick gazed at it each time he entered.

"Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy the photos." For a moment, both of them were silent, and the straw circled the sweet tea again. "I'm not trying to pry, but… it seems that you have a story as well." Dick jolted, his blood running cold.

"Why would you think that?"

"Your eyes." Her voice leaked the sympathy he had shown her earlier. He didn't want to hear the tone from her, though. "I'm fairly sure the saying is used in American culture as well, but my mother used to tell me that the eyes were the windows to the soul. Yours are no different." He didn't talk about it. In fact, he _never_ talked about it, something he had made clear when he'd started in the police academy, when the others explained why they wanted to be an officer. After several "I was robbed" and "my brother's a druggie and I don't want anyone else to hurt the way I did," there didn't seem to be any room for a sob-story of "my parents and I were amazing acrobats and I watched a madman murder them right in front of me." So when his time came, he threw in the towel. He claimed that Bruce had forced him into it, to which everyone laughed and slapped him on the back, and he smiled his Dick Grayson smile, the one that showed he didn't have a care in the world and thought the academy was as easy as riding a bicycle.

"I… it's… complicated." This is where Barbara had drawn the line. _If you don't have the decency to let me know who you really are, how am I ever going to trust you, Dick? _It was always Dick, never Richard with her. _If we don't have trust, we don't have anything_. Then he'd agreed with her and she'd walked out because she wanted him to be someone who would fight for her. And he couldn't, he _wouldn't_ fight for someone that didn't respect his need for some privacy. If she had respected _him_ for once, he would have told her. Demanding and backing him into the corner wasn't respect.

"Richard, if you do not want to, it's all right. The only reason I told you my story was because too many things weren't making any sense to me. I _felt_ the need to tell you."

"I promise I will tell you, Kory," He kissed her deeply and ran a hand through her crimson hair he adored so much, that he knew was merely a single part of this woman he… adored, "Have you been back?"

"No. I- I cannot." For the entire conversation, she had been able to withhold her tears, but with the soft sunlight coming in through the windows and the man in front of her kissing her soundly, she couldn't contain them any longer.

"Maybe one day we can go together. I'd love to see the island." His thumb wiped the tears from her eyes before they ever fell.

"You have never been?"

"Nope." He smiled mischievously as the last of her tears were dried away, "But I hear the women are pretty hot." She punched him again in the same spot, clicking her tongue.

"I would very much like to take you, but you must keep your eyes to yourself."

"My eyes are only on one thing, Kor, trust me." He watched as the sparkle fitted itself back into her irises, settling there like it had never been washed away by the current.

"I do, Richard." A moment passed, comfortingly this time, until Dick swallowed his lunch down and spoke again.

"Kory, I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to the annual Christmas party for the department. It's this Saturday at Wayne Manor." The gorgeous redhead graced him with one of her breathtaking smiles.

"I would love to."

\/

"Hey, stranger, long time no see," Rachel greeted as the redhead entered Nevermore Bookstore, a pair of ravens perched on the sign outside. Inside, though, the bookstore was crowded with teenagers and middle-aged women, all clinging to black hardback books.

"I apologize, friend. I've been so busy with Richard and-"

"So it's Richard now, is it?" Rachel smirked as Kory blushed, "Why the change?" She watched smugly as her friend twirled a finger in the red curls encased in a messy chignon.

"Yes. Calling him Dick sounds too harsh on the tongue. Richard has an almost… royal sound to it." Rachel refrained from mentioning there _was_ a King Richard- several, in fact- but bit her lip and rang up another overzealous customer. "Please, why are there so many here? Are you having a sale?"

"Nah. It's the release of those vampire romance novels. If they ask you which team you're on, back away slowly." Kory eyed the people like one would a hungry mountain lion.

"Okay." As more of them flooded the counter to make their purchase, the Tamaranian moved to the back of the bookstore to escape the rush. While sauntering through the aisles, a particularly large purple book caught her attention. Interest piqued by the lovely color, Kory pulled the book from its place and momentarily glanced at the six or so princesses adorning the cover before hurriedly flipping to the title page.

"_Disney Princess: Happily Ever After Stories_. Includes excerpts and illustrations from seven feature-length Walt Disney cartoons: _Cinderella_, _Mulan_, _Beauty and the Beast_, _Sleeping Beauty_, _Aladdin_, _The Little Mermaid_, and _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_." She gasped loudly and nearly dropped the storybook when a hand came to her shoulder.

"Whoa." Rachel muttered unenthusiastically, "You okay?"

"Perhaps." Kory squeaked and closed the book, fingering the hard edges.

"Having a Disney fetish?"

"No, no. I am wondering, however, if I could purchase this book to show Richard?"

"Do you think it has something to do with the murders?"

"How did you-"

"Listen, Kory, I may be dating Gar but that doesn't mean his stupidity is leeching all the common sense out of me," A small smile appeared on the dark-haired beauty, "Let's just say I'm psychic. Besides, I know you're not buying it to read him bedtime stories." They both headed to the front of the store. When their eyes caught the impending line of addicts, Rachel grabbed the book out of Kory's hands and ripped the price sticker off. "Looks like we're having an enormous clearance on fairytales."

"Rachel, I can't! You must allow me to pay for this." The half-smile faded from sight as Rachel sobered.

"If it helps you solve those murders and catch the killer somehow, there shouldn't _be_ a price on an item like that." The raven-haired woman turned to glance at the growing number of customers. "Take it." Kory glowed with adoration and wrapped her arms around her reserved friend.

"Oh, thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah. Now find Dick and show him that book."

\/

Abstract paintings lined the walls. Soft indie music bubbled out of the speakers. Comfy modern chairs formed a single, straight line. _Feels like those two years of therapy Bruce forced me to take_, Dick muttered to himself as his hands clenched the arms of the chair he was seated in. Suddenly, a door to his right opened and a black-haired Tamaranian peeked out.

"Ahh, the elusive Mr. Grayson," Komille held out her hand for a shake, "We meet again."

"Hello, Miss Anders." He followed her into her office, which was surprisingly covered in heavy European-style furniture and lined with crown molding, a shocking change from the bright lights and stark white theme of the rest of the store.

"Please, call me Kom. And it won't be Miss Anders for long." She flashed a shiny engagement ring at the detective.

"Who's the lucky man?"

"His name is Seth. Apparently, you two know each other too because when Kory, he, and I went out to eat the other night, he recognized your name." Dick's eyes widened into crystal blue saucers as Kom continued smirking.

"Seth _Gordon_? You managed to tie _him_ down?" Dr. Gordon, the department's resident criminal psychologist, was infamously famous for being just as bad as Bruce. Dick recalled a bet a few years ago involving how many women Gordon could date in a single week. The homicide unit had lost due to him rounding in four more ladies than the fifteen they betted.

"Oh, yes, I've tied him down. Many times, in fact." The detective shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Congratulations."

"Thank you." Kom purred, leaning back in her black leather chair and running her piercing dark blue, almost violet eyes over the man opposite her. "If you break her heart, I will not hesitate to sever your body into pieces and dump each one in a different location so no one can piece you back together for the funeral." Dick withheld a laugh at Kory's sister and her dark personality, in contrast to Kory's bubbly one.

"I'll start hacking off my arm the moment I do." Kom regarded him silently for another moment.

"And you're nothing like your father, besides the attractive aspect?" Of course Bruce's playboy ways would get him into trouble, even at this age. Dick resisted rolling his eyes.

"Trust me. We're nothing alike."

"Good. After what happened with her last fling, it's been hard on Kory to find someone that she can trust. And kudos to you arresting his ass."

"What happened with Wes?"

"Overbearing self-absorbed asshole is what he was, to put it bluntly. She moved to Gotham and he pined after her like some sick puppy and practically stalked her. When she wouldn't give it up to him after they started dating, he told her he was going to kill himself is she didn't 'prove her love to him,'" Kom shook her head in disgust as Dick reminded himself that if he shot a seemingly innocent person, he would be fired and Kory would most likely hate him forever, "Luckily, she had spent enough time in this society to understand what he was doing wasn't out of _love_ but out of selfishness. She severed ties with him and every now and then, he'll pop into town and claim he still has feelings for her. If you ask me, he's a straight _creeper_ and he needs to move on."

Before Dick could comment on this topic, the door to the office burst open and in popped his girlfriend, wide-eyed and concerned with a large purple book in her hands. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Kom quipped comically and then realized the waves of anxiety pouring off her sister, "What's wrong, sweetie?" She removed her heels from the desk and moved across the room to console her sibling.

"Kory?" Dick stood along with Kom and placed a hand on the book.

"I've found the pattern, Richard."

Kom's gaze flickered between the couple as they glanced uncertainly down at the cover of the storybook her sister was holding. "Pattern? What pattern?"

"The pattern of the killer." Kory swallowed and tried to calm her shaking hands.

"I know who he's going after next."

**AN: And now the games begin. Interestingly enough, the minute I started typing the last part, it started thunder storming and a lightning strike pierced the sky. (In an ominous, 90's-style horror voice): the storm of chaos is just beginning. Mwahaha- okay, I'll stop. **

**My apologies if the Muslim aspect isn't correct. If anything is off, please don't hesitate to PM and correct me. Hopefully, Google hasn't failed me this time. **

**Tamaran is where Puerto Rico is located, because that's what I kept imagining when I wrote this. Okara is a substitute for Barbados. **

**I know that Starfire's parents owned the titles of King and Queen, but Grand Ruler and Grand Empress sounded so much better to me. Admit it; Empress is more kick-ass than Queen!**

**Aisling, pronounced Ash-ling, is the name given to a popular poetic genre from the 17th and 18th centuries and is personified as a **_**beautiful woman in peril**_**. Need I say more?**

**Chapter Seven: "My Skin" by Natalie Merchant / "The Guardian Suite" by Trevor Rabin **


	8. Chapter 8

Late that Saturday evening, Dick situated himself outside of Kory's bathroom, content in listening to her ramble on about eye shadow pigments through the door.

"And you are sure you're going to be hospitable?"

"What are you talking about? I'm always hospitable." The immediate pause after his retort let him know his girlfriend was rolling those green orbs of hers.

"You know what I'm talking about, Richard. Do not act coy with me."

"I promise I'll behave, babe. We'll be surrounded by feds so there's no need for me to be extremely paranoid."

"So I'll only have to endure the normal level of paranoid Richard Grayson?" He smirked satisfyingly.

"Exactly. Vic and Sarah will be there too if I become too hard to deal with." The door opened to reveal his girlfriend, her bountiful red hair swept up in a sleek chignon and sterling silver earrings dangling from her ears. Neatly tucked into her hair were two sprigs of faux lavender. Where he expected a dress, however, was a large black pea coat that clung to her form, protecting her from the cold winter air they would encounter on the way to the car. As his eyes descended on her body, she flipped the lights and he only got a mere glance of violet peeking out of the bottom of the coat.

"Come on. We can't be late for the party." The party where hundreds of Gotham's finest would be raving drunk and interrogating the homicide detective about the current Felon case. For a moment, he thought about begging Kory to stay home with him and they could find a movie to cuddle up to instead of enduring the torture of Wayne Manor. One look from her, though, and he melted into a puddle of obedience, following Kory to his car.

\/

"_This_ is where you live?"

"Lived. Past tense. As in not any longer and never again." He grumbled unhappily and ignored the light punch to the arm he received.

"Don't be crude. I'm sure this was a glorious place to live."

"Not exactly the word I would use, but sure, it was _glorious_." He tightened his grip around Kory's waist and waited on Alfred to escort them inside.

"Good evening, Master Dick," the elderly man took the coat from the woman on the detective's arm, "My, Miss Anders, you look absolutely stunning." Finally, Dick could see what his girlfriend had been hiding from him for the past few hours. Her tanned body was firmly wrapped in a floor-length strapless gown that flared out from the hips. He couldn't help but _not_ be surprised at the choice of color- lavender, her favorite shade. The dress was decorated with thin ruching that tightly encased her torso and spread throughout the remainder of the dress. To top it off, the fabric was lightly dotted with small, shimmering rhinestones. Kory placed her free hand on the butler's elbow affectionately as Dick made sure his jaw wasn't dropping significantly.

"Alfred, do I have to remind you every time I visit? You may call me Kory."

"Yes, of course. Perhaps my old mind is gaining the upper hand." The couple bid goodbye to Alfred and as Kory chatted about the beauty of the manor, Dick blatantly stared at Kory. After a few minutes, she realized the usual jabbering detective was strangely mute.

"Richard? Is there something wrong?"

"Yes." She glanced around the fellow party-goers in suspicion.

"Someone is here who shouldn't be? Is it _him_?" The manicured fingernails digging into his arm finally woke him from the lustful trance he was trapped in.

"No, not that. I was looking at _you_, Kor, and I may not be able to stop the entire night." A bright flush spread across her cheeks.

"Thank you. I'm glad you like my attire. Yours is quite... delectable, as well." Light fingers trailed across his blue silk tie and he shivered at the intimate touch.

"If you don't stop that, I'm going to ditch this party and find the nearest empty room and have my wicked way with you." Her eyes flashed underneath the chandelier.

"And who is to say that wasn't my original intention?" Dick slid his eager hand down the small of her back to massage the area there. She purred into his ear and pecked lightly at his neck.

"Kory!"

"Dick, my man!" The couple was tackled by their friends, each receiving an enormous hug.

"Hello, Sarah."

"Hey, Vic." The fellow couple couldn't help but hear the terse tone in their words.

"You two don't look entirely happy to see us."

"Richard and I were…"

"…in the middle of a discussion, that's all." Victor eyed his fellow co-worker.

"_Right_. Anyway, why don't you guys come join the party?" He leaned in closer with his next statement, "The dynamic duo is here." Dick's expression became darker as Victor laughed harder.

"Why are they even here?"

"Apparently, since Soames is a liaison to us and he's a liaison to that top-notch lab, they were invited too."

"I'm going to kick Brandon's ass."

"Come on, man, they aren't _that_ bad."

"Did _you_ have to sit with them at the last charity function and listen to that scientific garbage come out of her mouth? I think I ruptured my vesti nerve." Tempted by the conversation the foursome was having, Marty slid in to input his own opinion.

"Yeah, Vic, next year we're putting you with them." The zaftig African-American practically spit out his champagne.

"You do that and I will string you up by your bal-"

"Children?" The opulent Bruce Wayne appeared by the circle of friends. "Move along, please. If you haven't noticed, you're blocking the doorway."

"Sorry, Mr. Wayne," Kory blushed and grabbed her lady friend, "You boys go have fun. Sarah and I will mingle with the other guests."

"And try to find something to eat," The blonde-haired female complained as she pressed a hand to her abdomen.

"Kor, you don't have to-" She pressed her lips to his- her most favorite way to silence him.

"Do not act like it is a problem, Richard. Go do your boy stuff to rid yourself of all that testosterone you've been building up inside. I will find you later for a dance." Marty and Vic held back their guffaws at their friend's puzzled demeanor.

"Uh… thanks, babe. I think." Kory broke out another smile and headed to the large group of people that were congregating in the adjoining ballroom. Dick awoke from checking out Kory's bare back in that dress with a sharp clap on his shoulder.

"You got it bad, bro." A cheeky dark-haired man blurted out. "Can I suggest a rousing game of killing zombies?" Before his brother could respond, Vic answered for him.

"Sounds good, Timmy. Let's go rid Dick here of some of his _testosterone_." Dick abruptly ignored his adopted brother's confused gaze and his friends' consistent laughter. Instead, he headed for the den to pummel them in a rousing game of massacring zombies.

\/

After losing Sarah in a sudden rush of celebrities and police officers, Kory decided that it was time to find her boyfriend. She sincerely hoped that her comment earlier hadn't embarrassed Dick in front of his friends. Even if she'd been here for ten years, she still hadn't fully caught onto what was acceptable small-talk. Were male hormones out of the question?

Kom had suggested watching daytime television to help her blend with the other citizens of America, but most of it was filled with overzealous people acting dramatically or a group of incredibly tanned people yelling and violently pumping their fists. For some time, Kory felt that she would never fit into American society. Then, by some miraculous act from above, she had needed a book for college and low and behold, Nevermore was the only bookstore in the north that had it in stock. By the end of her purchase, Kory had made a new friend and whether Rachel wanted to admit it or not, she had too. It was only a matter of time before Kory met Sarah through Rachel's boyfriend, Garfield, and eventually Victor through Sarah when she had started dating him two years ago. It was odd, how Richard and she were connected for so many months without any knowledge.

Finding no sign of her boyfriend, Kory entered the first set of double doors and almost dropped the silver clutch in her hand. Beautiful cherry-wood shelves held thousands upon thousands of books as far as the eye could see. Near the entrance of the library, several plush sofas and chaises surrounded a roaring marble fireplace. Kory made her way to the fire to warm herself and eyed the art that adorned the walls. Directly above the mantle, a lovely painting of a dark-haired man and blue-eyed woman, a set of pearls strung around her neck, gazed affectionately down at her.

"I thought I'd find you here." She jumped at the sudden voice and listened as footsteps grazed the carpeting, coming towards her slowly.

"I suggest you leave me alone."

"Why? We both know that you're lying right out of your pretty little mouth, cutie." Kory wheeled around to face Weston, fury lining her features.

"You are not allowed to call me that." Her ex-boyfriend chuckled and shook his head, tapping his fingers lazily against his glass of champagne.

"Is that what the prodigal party boy told you to say?"

"No. Richard respects my choice to keep you out of jail," She narrowed her eyes into tiny slits and leaned in towards his form, "Do not make me regret my decision."

"Don't act stupid, Kory. I know you've read the gossip columns on the fanciful Dick Grayson," Weston moved closer to her and she backed up, the bare skin of her back skimming across the warm marble. She shivered slightly and hoped he didn't notice how he made her skin crawl. It had been a mistake, dating him, but she had been too young and too naïve to see what he was doing to her. Now she had a clear picture. "It's only a matter of time, cutie, until he dumps you for another bimbo." The flat of her palm struck his stubble-covered cheek, the _slap_ echoing through the library.

"I may have not been born here, Weston, but I am fully aware of the meaning of that word- which has _nothing_ to do with my relationship to Richard. You should keep it out of our conversation before I find something else to strike." His free hand came up to rub his scarred face.

"You belong with me, Kory. Why can't you see that?"

"You belong in _jail_. Why can't you leave me _alone_?"

"It's not that simple." He forced her up against the marble, her hands splayed against the tiles, searching for a weapon of some sort. This time, he would not get the best of her. "You've been blinded, Kory, by whatever this prick has been dangling in front of you."

"He has been dangling nothing in front of me besides grace and chivalry. People can change, Weston. If you could change, I might consider being friends with you again, but until then, I do not wish to see you in my presence." His hand came up to grip her throat and she wheezed for more but received none.

"This isn't Tamaran, _princess_. You are _not_ allowed to order me around." Kory brought her hands up to attack him, to use the self-defense training she had endured when she'd first moved to Gotham. Before she could begin to use the first technique, though, a booming voice arose from the silence of the room and suddenly she could breathe again.

A large hand wrapped around Weston's arm, hauling him backwards to crumple against the carpet. "I'd start listening to the girl, Redd," Bruce growled at the criminal who was wiping the broken drinking glass from his tuxedo, "Otherwise, I'm not completely sure I can hold my son back from what he'll do to you once he finds out you've been harassing her again."

"No surprise there," Weston grumbled and made his way to the doors, "All you socialites are the same: always playing the hero. If your son wants to deal with me, tell him not to have daddy playing the good cop routine." With a slam of the door, he was out of sight and Bruce turned to the shaken Kory.

"Are you all right?" She nodded meekly, her fingers coming up to brush against where his hand had been.

"Yes. Than- thank you for… getting him off of me."

"Of course. What was he doing in here, anyway?" She tried to laugh dryly, but all that came out was a round of coughing. Ever the gentleman, Bruce escorted her over to the nearest chaise and let her gather herself before continuing.

"Trying to win me back."

"His technique was a bit off, then." The two shared a grin before Kory directed her gaze to another painting, trying to keep her mind off what had occurred. Weston had always been forceful, but he'd never tried to harm her physically. What was wrong with him?

"He never told me." The older man glanced over at his son's newest love interest with a curious interest of his own.

"Hmm?"

"That you were his adopted father." She motioned to the painting hanging above a section of Irish poetry. The picture depicted another man and woman, clearly in a relationship like the first painting, but with features similar to Dick. "Diana was the one who told me at the football game." Bruce opened his mouth to respond.

"They were murdered." Dick interrupted from the entrance, making his way into the large room. "I heard Redd messed with you and came looking." Bruce took that as his cue to leave and did so, shutting the door quietly behind him as he went. Dick took a seat next to Kory and eyed the red marks on her neck with an animal-like ferocity. "What did he do?"

"He is jealous he cannot have me and came in here to tell me that you would cheat on me, so I should be with him." She dutifully ignored the string of curses that came out of her boyfriend as he rambled on about how he could easily get away with murder. "Your father must have passed by and heard me yelling at him. He came and hauled Weston off of me." Another bout of curses. Kory tapped her fingers together nervously.

"What do you want me to do?"

"You are asking me?" He took her shaking hands in his and encased them in his own.

"Yes. I'm not going to overstep boundaries and arrest him unless you want me to. It's up to you, babe."

"I… suppose I could file a restraining order against him. Maybe he will take it as his cue to leave me alone." Dick nodded, holding back the detective voice of reason and listening to the protective boyfriend voice instead.

"Wanna dance?" She gazed uncertainly at him, unsure of what he was trying with her. Did he really expect that she would agree to dance with him after what had just happened? Finally, Kory decided she didn't care _what_ he was trying to pull.

"I'd love to."

\/

_Pop_. _Pop_. _Pop_.

"Richard?"

"Yes?"

"Erm… why do they keep snapping photos of us together?" Kory motioned her head of red hair to the paparazzi in the bushes below them on the terrace. After numerous rounds of dancing, the couple had made their way to the large balcony that overlooked the entire four acres behind Wayne Manor. To the left, attendees strolled through the gardens that Alfred created each year, always in bloom with whatever plant or flower could survive the current season. To the right, the covered pool and Greek statues- Dick couldn't help but grin, knowing Diana had been the one who wanted those- lined the patio, the urns and bowls above their heads crawling with vines that wrapped around their bodies, much like the dress on his lovely date.

But directly below them, the hounds continued with their cameras, an array of bright flashes popping into their line of vision. With a reminder that there were hundreds of officers in the immediate area, the popping subsided and the only sound came from the distant voices to the left and the dull classical music playing in the ballroom.

"We're Gotham's hottest couple, Kor. They all want a shot for their columns."

"So… we are like Brad and Angelina?" Dick faced her quizzically.

"You mean to tell me that you don't know who Hugh Hefner is but you know who _they_ are?" She shrugged nonchalantly in his arms.

"I watch more action movies than I do _Playboy_ videos."

"Can't argue with that logic. And yes, we're like them, except without all of the kids running around." He watched as she untangled herself from his embrace and moved down the balcony, running her thin fingers along the stone ledge.

"How did they die?"

"Brad and Angelina? They're still alive, Kory." She turned to face him and he was lost again in that gaze, those green emeralds shining up at him from the soft light the sconces emitted. Exhaling sadly, she shook her head and he felt sour inside. She wanted to know something else.

"Your parents, Richard. That is what I ask you for." Not trusting himself to remain calm, he ripped his eyes away from her and to the aging stone below, intent on releasing his anger at the inability to trust no one on it. His fists crushed the cracked edges, turning the stone into dust underneath his knuckles. For a moment, the scene flashed, and he could see himself gripping the wood of the stand, waiting on his mother to reach out to him.

"Richard?" Mary and Kory asked. They both needed something from him. His mother needed his hands, so they could finish the act. His girlfriend needed his trust, so she could piece together the puzzle he had created in front of her by letting her into his life. Was it worth the risk?

For his mother, he would never know, because the moment she stretched out her arms to take him with her, the rope had snapped. He could see them below, falling and falling, and he shut his eyes tightly so he couldn't see when the falling stopped. Looking back, he kept his eyes shut his entire life after that moment, right until Bruce's old colleague offered him a position in the police academy. Maybe, then, things could be set right. As an officer of the law, he could bring justice to those who had been wronged, just like he had.

Even if it was too late for him, it wasn't too late for someone else.

For Kory, though, the knowledge that he could still take that leap and take her hand ate at him. The stone underneath his hands crumbled again. She was right there, patiently waiting for him to say something. He was right here, gathering up the courage to speak.

\/

Above on the overhanging balcony, the princess and the intruder stood, tensely watching one another. A smile came to the lips. Ariel's luscious hair glimmered against the moonlight, some of the curls coming loose from their tightly-wound enclosure. A creature so pure with a monster so filthy.

"A terrible contrast you two make, my dear." Said the glazed eyes as they hovered on the princess above. "If you were Rapunzel, I'd ask you to let down your hair and take you away. But it is too soon for that and you are Ariel. My sixth princess." Knowing the lips were speaking to no one but themselves, the figure hid from sight as the intruder gazed downward, his blue eyes lost in a world of despair. A dark chuckle emitted from the lips before the light shone on the hands and face and someone called a name.

"Yeah, buddy, get over here and have another round!" The glaze faded away with a snap of the fingers and the lips formed into a smirk. The party was merely beginning.

\/

"When I was younger, I was an acrobat in a circus act called the 'Flying Graysons' that consisted of my mother, my father, and I. We were phenomenal- we were the only ones that could perform triple flips and the only ones that would perform without a net." He paused, raking a hand through his short black hair. "It was one of the reasons people wanted to see us- we weren't afraid to fly through the air and show our skills because we were _that_ good. My father didn't see the need for safety when we were practically perfection on the bars. Then again, sometimes my father was wrong, and he ended up being so on that night.

It's a packed house, hundreds of on-lookers, and I'm waiting on my mother to stretch out her arms for me to take and she's saying my name. I'm going to answer her the way I always do- by grabbing her hands and finishing the act, but I don't have the time to do so." Instead of his mother's hands, Kory's were on his shoulders, pressing affectionately on the spot his friends had slapped jokingly earlier. Leaning into her touch, he continued.

"All they were after was money. They killed my parents over _money_. Something… something you could rip apart so easily, something that shouldn't have mattered as much as two innocent lives. But… some mafia boss wanted money from the circus and when they wouldn't pay up, he decided to take something of theirs that brought _in_ the money he wanted.

I watched my parents fall to their deaths because some son of a bitch messed with a cable. And… and then as I'm staring at their gravestones, Bruce shows up and announces he's adopting me because I can't be left alone at my young age." Dick grumbled something incoherently and Kory kept her hands on him, not about to let him go. "That's it. You know the rest."

"Thank you." They're the only words she spoke and they're the only ones that he needed to hear. He brings her into his arms this time, inhaling the scent of her perfume and burying his face in her hair.

\/

Intended on keeping some sort of a party going after they left the previous one, Dick and Kory returned to her home around midnight. While Dick collapsed on the couch and turned on the news to see the sports highlights, Kory strolled to the bathroom to rid herself of the flowers in her hair and the makeup covering her face. Tousling the wild red curls, she shooed away the butterflies fluttering in her stomach and made her way back to the living room.

There, still looking delectable in his suit and tie, Dick yelled at the television as football highlights played on the screen. Spotting the light switch that turned off the power to her television, she flipped it at once and watched in amusement as her boyfriend almost tore apart a throw pillow. Finally, his tirade ended and she cleared her throat, leaning with one bare shoulder against the hallway.

"Want to make yourself useful and help me with my dress?" His eyes widened significantly and she held back the giggles that simmered with the butterflies in her stomach.

"Hu- huh?"

"Come on, handsome." Asking no questions, Dick pounced.

**AN: The nerve Dick mentions is called the "vestibulocochlear nerve" and is responsible for transmitting sound from the inner ear to the brain. I shortened it for sake of sentence fluidity. **

**The couple I was referring to was Special Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan from the show "Bones." I love them dearly, but I know that other people of the law might not be so thrilled about them (due to her Asperger syndrome-like social interaction and quirky attitude).**

**If you would like a photo of Kory's dress, I have a link that I could PM you if you request it. Albeit the dress in the picture doesn't come in lavender, everything else is the same.**

**Chapter Eight: "Beautiful" by Trading Yesterday **


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: It seems I pulled a muscle in my back when I went tubing this weekend, so I've been forced to "take it easy" which is Kaila-speak for: "you can chill at the computer as long as you're propped up with a couple pillows." **

_Clink_. Victor grumbled unhappily and stared at the keys in defiance. Juggling a hot coffee and three stacks of reports, the thirty year-old dropped to the cement steps of the precinct to retrieve the slippery objects. Down the street, Gotham National Bank's sign read that it was two degrees below freezing and as the red numbers burned into his retinas, Victor once again threatened to kick Marty's ass for making him come in so early, on a Monday morning no less.

The only people awake at four in the morning were taxi drivers and the blindly drunks hitching a ride home in said taxis. Finally, he unlocked the door and felt around in the dark for the light switch, groping anything that came between his hands and the switch. Pausing momentarily to try and adjust his vision to the sheer darkness, an unfamiliar smell wafted into his nostrils and he gagged at the burnt scent.

"I told the captain the heating was acting up but _no_, no one believes the tech-" _Clink_. _Clunksplish_. _Fwap_. Each of the items in his possession landed on the floor. The last of the old fluorescent bulbs kicked in and shone hauntingly over the foreign object that had caught Victor's attention. "Holy mother of God." The frightened man breathed out, not being able to do much more than stare.

In the middle of the precinct's lobby sat a charred corpse, its hands and feet bound with what Victor assumed to be zip-ties. The plastic was still bubbling into the burnt flesh of the victim. He edged forward, closer to the form, and made out a pristinely clean red bow tied around the torso. To complete the macabre picture, a smoldering arrow protruded from the head and on the floor beside the body was a copy of _Robin Hood_, wrapped in a similar red bow.

A long whistle sounded from behind Victor and he spun, facing the coroner.

"Mel? What are you doing here?" A manila envelope was shoved in his face before she began inspecting the body as closely as she could without destroying any evidence.

"Copy of the latest lab tests Rich wanted. Who is this?"

"You're worried about _who_? I'm trying to figure out _how_ he got in here!" He watched as Melinda examined the body intently.

"Hmm… male, late twenties to early thirties," The coroner snapped on a pair of gloves and began searching through the pockets, "Call Dick and tell him what we've got. I'm going to call CSU and have them sweep the place, although this crime scene is severely contaminated with everyone's fingerprints." Victor nodded and faced away from the scene.

Several miles away, Dick woke to his phone and groaned, untangling his arms from around Kory's waist and stumbling to the noise.

"Whoever this is…" He fought back a yawn to continue the threat, "I'm going to chop off your-"

"Dick, we… we've kinda got a situation."

"What kind of situation?"

"A Christmas present-"

"You called me at four in the morning to discuss a Christmas present for your girlfriend?" The detective sat down on his coffee table, wiping the sleep from his eyes. Down the main hallway, a soft moan was heard and before he could usher Kory back to bed, Victor continued.

"There's a burned body at the precinct, complete with a red bow. That's not the worst part, though. It's a present from the Felon."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. The corpse came with its own fairytale- _Robin Hood_." Someone mumbled in the background and the tech manager added, "Yeah, and an arrow through the skull."

"Jesus Christ, Vic! Do you know who it is?" Melinda resumed her search of the body and came up with a wallet and set of keys.

"Driver's license says Weston Redd," Victor relayed the information, "Do we know this guy?"

"Yeah," Dick sighed and kept his eyes on Kory as she strolled down the hallway in his robe, "We know him."

\/

By the time he threw on his clothes and arrived at work, the crime scene unit had already collected what they needed.

"You said you know him?"

"This is Kory's ex-boyfriend. She was going to put a restraining order on him, but…."

"Looks like she won't need to anymore." Brandon concluded the conversation and backed off at the glare he received from the detective.

"Well, as far as I can tell right now, he was dragged in here sometime between two and four this morning. The killer had him at another location- where he was set on fire ante mortem and then the arrow was shoved into his cranium," Melinda motioned to the blackened arrow, "Near the parietal lobe post mortem. I put time of death around one-thirty."

"This isn't right, Mel," Dick picked up the _Robin Hood_ storybook , sealed inside an evidence bag, "The Felon was supposed to only kill women. Why would he change his M.O. this late in the game?"

"You told us Saturday that you think the next victim will be Kory, so it's got to be the connection there. And if the killer is keeping tabs on her, then he must have run into Redd along the way."

"Run a search for him through the database and figure out where he lives." Victor rushed to the nearest computer and read off the address. "Soames, you're with me." The eager liaison followed the detective out of the precinct and onto the bustling streets of Gotham City.

\/

"Did you get word about the book?"

"The one at the crime scene? Yeah, Dick, I was there." Brandon snorted off-handedly, filtering through a stack of notes on Redd's kitchen table. Giving up on any vital information remaining in the kitchen, he moved on to a spare room.

"No. I'm talking about the fairytale one. It has the same lineup of the murders. Kory and I were scouring the Internet last night to make sure."

"Kory? Man, you know we're not supposed to talk about open cases." Dick swallowed back the irritation he felt towards the young agent.

"The next victim is Ariel. The last victim was Kory's friend. I'm hoping that our guess is wrong, but if it is, I want to catch this maniac before he strikes again." Brandon didn't respond and Dick reveled in the silence- that was why he always went back to the crime scene when it was quiet. Thinking and forming hypotheses was easier when there weren't tons of investigators bustling around him. "Why Robin Hood?" Brandon entered the living room to meet his partner.

"There's nothing in the kitchen or second bedroom."

"Why did the Felon pick Robin Hood?"

"…Cause it's a little more masculine than Snow White?"

"No, _no_. The Felon doesn't pick out stories at random. If he picked Robin Hood for Redd, there must be some similarity between the two."

"Let's see… Robin stole from the rich and gave to the poor. He-"

"He was a hero," Dick felt the neurons in his brain firing up, "If the killer knew that Redd was trying to be a hero, then Redd must have known about the killer and was going to tell Kory. But why _didn't_ he contact Kory?"

"You said that she wanted a restraining order on him, so I doubt he had her phone number."

"You're right. So… what next?"

"Twitter?" Dick snapped his fingers and rushed over to the open laptop on the sofa. Bringing the device out of sleep mode, he was pleased to find that Redd wasn't extremely paranoid and hadn't thought of securing his computer with a password. In a minute, the detective was on the victim's e-mail account, surfing to find a clue of some kind. He clicked on the outbox and was pleased to see Kory's e-mail as one of the recipients.

_Kory, _

_I know that you don't trust me, but as I've been watching over you, so has another. After the party, I noticed a dark-colored sedan following you. I tailed it and I think whoever it was caught onto my actions because they sped away before I could catch a license plate. I will continue to look out for you, cutie, even if you're being led astray by that cop. I will not fail you this time. _

_-Wes_

"Who freaking talks like that?" Dick turned in his seat to eye his companion.

"Who talks like they're still in grade school?" To prove Dick's statement, Brandon stuck out his tongue.

"Anyway, this shows that the Felon at least acknowledged Redd.

"And it clarifies another: the Felon is definitely after Kory."

"What are you going to do about it?" The detective sighed dejectedly.

"She'll be staying at my apartment for now until we catch this guy." Brandon simply nodded, showing he understood, and watched silently as the usually collected Dick Grayson stalked out of the house, barking orders to bring the laptop.

\/

"So he killed Wes?" Kory nodded sadly and continued rummaging through her drawers.

"When?"

"Yesterday. Victor found him in the precinct."

"How?"

"Richard said the killer picked the lock. It is a very old building and the last structural update was over fifteen years ago."

"No, Kory- how did he… die?" Rachel's hesitation wasn't missed by Kory and it struck her that the "demon" as they called her often was shocked by the events, as well.

"The coroner said he was burned alive." She clenched her shaking hands into fists, hoping to rid them of the annoying movement.

"Oh, Kory, I- I'm sorry."

"Do not tell _me_, tell Weston's family. How will they cope knowing that _I_ was the reason for his death?"

"Honestly, it wasn't like he was Nelson Mandela. Maybe it's best that he was-"

"Burned alive!" Kory exclaimed and tossed the suitcase against the open door, cracking it in the process, "Rachel, he may have been a terrible soul, but _no one_ deserves to die the way he did. I brought his torture upon him!" The distraught redhead collapsed onto her bedroom floor, grabbing the comforter for support. Rachel tiptoed close and placed her arms around Kory's shoulders.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"I know." Kory hiccupped and leaned against her friend. "I am sorry I threw the suitcase."

"Come on," Rachel smiled softly, "Let's finish packing so we can get you to work- which I'm surprised Dick is letting you do."

"I managed to convince him last night." Kory waggled her eyebrows seductively before bursting out into laughter.

"Too much information. Let's get you out of here before you try to convince _me_." Moving to the front door, t he blinking red light of the answering machine caught Kory's attention. Curious, she pressed the button and it played the only remaining message. "What is that?" Both women surrounded the machine, straining as the little tune continued. It ended suddenly and the machine's automated voice kicked in. Before Rachel could begin to reason it was a wrong number- a creep one, at that, Kory yanked her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed.

"Richard? I received a strange message on my answering machine. I- I do not know how to describe it besides… some type of music." Nodding, she placed the phone near the machine and played the message once more. "Is it- yes, I see. Call into work? Why- does this mean it will happen soon? So the others received this too? All right, Richard, please calm down. I will call in and Rachel will drive me back to your apartment." Hearing this, the raven-haired woman rose and grabbed the suitcase Kory had packed. "_Yes_, I will grab the machine and take it with me. All right, goodbye."

\/

"The call came from a payphone in Dale City, Virginia."

"What about the others?"

"The first three came from Gotham, Bludhaven, and Metropolis, but both Cahaya's and Kory's came from Dale City. All were received a day before the murder."

"Which means he's going to go for Kory today," Dick gripped the marker in his hand so tightly, the plastic cracked along the edges, "So he started out here in Gotham but panicked, so he went down and called from a different location." Dick wrote all of this information down on the white board; the only sounds audible were the squeaks of the Expo marker. In a bright red, he circled the last two calls and scribbled a massive question mark beside it. "But why Dale City? Why drive all the way down there?" Victor moved forward and examined the board along with Dick.

"Maybe that's where he lives. Maybe he worked in reverse- he started calling where the murders occurred. The fourth time, though, he was on a tight schedule, so he was forced to call from his original location."

"So if Dale City is where he lives, the guy must not have a job if he has to make all these trips back and forth or…" The marker in Dick's hand dangled precariously above the floor, "…has one that forces him to."

"You're not saying that-"

"It makes sense, though, Vic. The smartest criminals are normally government officials. He would know how to keep the place clean. He has access to the entire system, where he could pull names and addresses, phone numbers just like rabbits out of a hat. It _has_ to be him… where's Soames?" Victor pointed to the schedule hanging on the far wall.

"Off duty today."

"Shit." Dick grabbed the keys off his desk and headed for the stairs, "Call up the squad and tell them to head for my apartment. And tell 'em to step on it!"

**AN: It's shorter than the previous chapters, but trust me: if I had cut off where I wanted to, you would have sent me cyber grenades. **

**The next chapter is written and only has to be edited and typed out.**

**Chapter Nine: "Running Up that Hill" by Placebo **


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Time to drop the bomb. Blame an episode of "In Plain Sight" for my absence- otherwise this chapter would have been up yesterday. It's shorter than the last, but what it lacks in number of words, it makes up for in vital information. **

Ariel's soft, melodic voice wafted through the air and his nose inhaled it like it was the oxygen he needed to breathe. The steam from the shower coated the living room in a fine mist. The hormonal part of his brain begged for a peek at what lay behind that pearly white door. The rational part, however, reminded him that this wasn't for sexual pleasure. This was a duty, much like his job.

"_There's no need to complicate, our time is short, this is our fate_… _I'm_-" Biting back a grin at Ariel's scream, his hands lifted in an innocent manner.

"Whoa. Sorry if I frightened you."

"What… what are you doing here?" She tightened the purple robe around her body and stepped away from the man.

"Dick wanted me to swing by and check on you."

"I'm fine." Ariel's squeaky voice betrayed the words she spoke. "How did you get in?" He lifted a shiny metal key up that glistened from the sunlight pouring in through the bay windows.

"Spare key. With us working together and all, we figured that we needed someone to trust." Glazed eyes trailed after her and watched as she opened the front door for him.

"Well, thank you for checking on me, but as I said, I am fine." The corners of his mouth threatened to curl, but he clamped down on them and strode forward to place a delicate hand on her outstretched arm.

"Are you sure?"

\/

Usually, Dick refrained from using the siren, as it tended to eat at his nerves. Considering he was cursing loud enough to drown it out, though, be barely registered the wailing.

"Damn it, Kory, pick up!" He waited impatiently for her to answer, wondering what she was doing that was stopping her from doing so.

"Yes, I'm-" Both pairs of eyes darted to the cell phone lying on the kitchen counter, "That must be Richard." The second she dropped her hand from the door, he knew this was it. This was his second favorite part: the chase. Before Ariel's fingers could even touch the granite, he yanked her backwards and threw her over his shoulder. A swift kick to his package, though, and he dropped to the ground in agony.

She spun on her heel, turning for the still ringing phone. He snatched her slim ankle and dragged her down to the floor underneath him.

"Stop resisting! This is for your own good!" Digging in his pocket, he came up with the needle. While he smirked, she kicked her instructor-trained brain into overdrive and brought both of her palms onto his ears, satisfied when his smirk disappeared and was replaced with a grimace. Leaping up, the mad dash she attempted was stopped by his body crashing into hers. The dining room table creaked at the sudden weight. Straddling her between his legs, one hand held Ariel down as the other prepared the drug. "I promise you won't feel a thing… until later." In response, she spat in his face. Angrily wiping the liquid from himself, he brought the drug down just as the front door was kicked open.

"Kory! Kory, are you here? Oh, Jesus…." A familiar male voice exclaimed as he eyed the disastrous zone that used to be the living area. The coffee table was overturned, sending magazines across the carpet, and the lamp on the far side table was broken, the shade ripped in two. Back in the dining room, his actions were halted as he tried to keep Ariel from screaming. Footsteps came closer, crunching on the broken shards of the lamp's light bulb. "Kory! Are you here?" His hands clenched tighter around her bare neck. Unfortunately, there weren't many ways to keep yourself hidden atop a table, and he heard the gasp of the intruder when his time ran out. "What the- what are you _doing_?" The intruder paled, yanking out his gun as he pulled the trigger on his own.

Ariel cried out from underneath him as the intruder stumbled, glaring at the bullet hole in his chest, then at the man who had put it there. "_You're_ the Felon?" He didn't answer, but kept silent and watched with a blank face as his colleague slid against the wall and coughed up droplets of blood.

Finding an opening, Ariel pulled her legs out from under his and wrapped them around his waist. She hauled him over her head and into the wall, satisfied when the audible sound of plaster cracking radiated throughout the room.

"You bitch!" Whirling around on the table, she narrowly missed his fist by leaping from the furniture and ducking behind one of the chairs. Seeing that his legs were making their way around the table to her, she stuck out a limb and swept him off the floor. A searing pain ruptured across the skin of her face. She choked against the tiny droplets that penetrated the sensitive coating of her throat. Rolling over to brush the droplets off, several of them sliced her fingers open and blood poured out of the tears. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with broken glass, princess?" Another sting of pain at the top of her arm. The blood on her hands looked as if she'd been finger painting a ghastly picture. The world tilted, then, and she gagged as her stomach tried to heave up breakfast. "The sensations you're feeling, sweet Ariel, are due to your increased blood flow," Another prick at her bicep, "Which is causing the drug's effects to increase ten-fold."

"My name is _not_ Ariel, you bastard. And I am no princess."He chuckled sadly from above her, preparing another syringe.

"Yes, it is." Biting back a whimper of distress, she realized that the throbbing in her fingers had subsided, "And yes, you are." In fact, the only thing she was aware of was the ringing. Eventually, though, that faded away too.

\/

Dick didn't even bother turning the engine off. The second the car's parking brake was on, he was out. The stair door that usually stuck didn't matter. The woman with the three dogs on the second landing didn't matter. The only thing that did was Kory and whether or not he'd failed her. How many times did he swear to protect her? Just the night before, she'd had a terrible dream and he'd consoled her, held her tightly and swore nothing would happen.

The sight he drank in was like bleach running down his throat. Nearly everything that was visible was destroyed or damaged, overturned or strewn across the room. Moving quietly to the hallway, the blood-soaked floor of the dining room caught his attention. He was vaguely aware of the sound of thundering footsteps; barely noticed the front door open and his teammate letting out a defeated sigh.

"Oh, no."

"He got her?" A voice croaked from the corner of the dining room and Dick tore his sights away from the blood to the man.

"Soames! What the hell did you do to her?" Dick yanked the liaison to his feet and slammed his bleeding body against the wall. The young agent groaned in pain and tried to fight against the hold his colleague had on him, but it was no use. A pissed-off Dick Grayson wasn't about to let go when it came to Kory.

"Wasn't… _me_, jackass. I came here," He hacked roughly at the blood slowly filling up his lungs, "Once I heard about… it on the two-way… came here to… stop 'im."

"Then _who was it_?" Brandon wheezed in another breath to speak.

"Grimes. He's… fucking lost it, Dick. He shot me before I could do anything. He… he got Kory."

"Where did he take her?" Brandon gurgled something out, red trails marring his pale skin, and collapsed against the detective. Dick settled him on the floor and motioned for the paramedics. Dragging in a breath and trying not to choke at the thick copper scent filling the room, he steadied himself against the table and glared at the bloody finger trail that ran along the wall. It would take a blood test to prove it, but he bet those markings were Kory's. That blood was Kory's. _Let's hope you don't run this one out of town_. This time, Bruce was wrong. No, this time he'd managed to do much worse. This time, he'd signed her death certificate.

Rearing back, the detective shoved his curled fist into the table, splintering the dark wood. He kept his hand there until Victor came to stand by his side.

"We're interviewing everyone in the building. Maybe someone knows something."

"The Felon is Marty."

"I know, man."

"He was playing us the entire time- he set it up so we would waste our time and go after Soames. He knew Kory would be here, _alone_. I might as well have handed her over to him." Victor didn't respond this time, but gently reached out and removed his friend's hand from the middle of the table. "He's got Kory, Vic."

"I know." Blinking back tears of frustration- he couldn't let them fall, not now, not with all of the police and paramedics around- Dick swallowed thickly.

"He's got Kory."

**AN: Song Kory was singing: "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. **

**It just so happens that I forgot to add my "Princess and the Detective Playlist" songs along with each chapter, so I'll go back and replace all of them once I finish publishing this. **

**Chapter Ten: "Letters From the Sky" by Civil Twilight / "Love and Loss" by Two Steps From Hell**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I strongly apologize for the delay. My sister's father passed away from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and I have been helping her cope. **

The rancid smell of fish and seawater filled her senses. The scent reminded her of the days she would follow her brother down to the pier. As they swung their skinny tanned legs off the side of the warped planks, shooing away the seagulls when they tried to snatch their ice cream, Ryan would tell her stories. Of how he was going to join the Tamaran navy when he became of age, of how he would move up to captain and challenge all of the pirates that came across his boat. She could recall his bubbly laugh and how the water brought an adventurer out of her otherwise timid and complacent sibling.

"Don't cry, my princess," The detective-turned-criminal spoke in a hushed tone. Kory blinked, adjusting her vision to the darkness. Chained to some type of crate, she twisted both of her wrists in the cuffs, trying to retain blood flow in them. Still, each movement was delayed, as if she'd drunken too much liquor.

Being so inhibited, it took her a few minutes before the interior of the location sharpened. Dick's partner, Marty, rose out of his seat and greeted her with an open water bottle and a tray of sandwiches. "Are you allergic to anything?"

"Psychopaths." Kory grimaced as he grabbed her chin and shoved the bottle inside, plugging her mouth so she couldn't speak. Greedily, though, she chugged the entire amount.

"It's the drugs. They are quite effective, but give you cottonmouth." Was this Detective Grimes talking now or the Felon? Kory had read that some killers adopted split-personalities to keep their rational self from the grizzly acts they committed. Even in her state, she could see the glaze hovering over his eyes. This was the killer.

The bottle was removed and he picked up one of the sandwiches, holding it out like an offering. "Bite?" She tore into the sandwich, crunching on the lettuce and tomato, imagining his head between her teeth as she gnashed. "You never ordered any meat entrees, so I figured you for a vegetarian." It chilled her, how collected he was as he told her this- that he had been following and watching her so closely. He could have been sitting three tables down and she would have never noticed.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked through bites of food. Something itched and when she looked down to see what it was, he grinned proudly.

"Do you like your new outfit? I bought it for your trip."

"Trip?" The hazy light from above reflected off the sequined scales of the jade mermaid tail- a color close to that of her eyes. She shivered and glanced at her chest to find it only covered in two purple seashells, strung together by a single strip of cloth. The Felon moved away, chewing on his own meal.

"Yes. Your trip. It will be in a few minutes, so don't bother resting up for it. I need you awake for the big moment."

"What big moment?"

"When you meet my daughter."

"I thought you were going to kill me," Kory let a breath of relief escape, "We're just going to visit your daughter?" The Felon laughed hysterically, as if she'd uttered a hilarious joke.

"No, no. _You're_ going to visit her. Not me. Lily only deserves the best- that's why I picked you, Ariel. She is a very sweet little girl."

"Where is she?" Kory's sights darted around the damp room, searching for the poor little girl. Did he force his daughter to watch what he did to the other women? The Felon stopped cackling at her question.

"No. She should be here, but she's not."

"Then… where is she?" A brilliant smile broke across his face. She didn't think it was possible, but she felt her soul shudder at the sight.

"Where all princesses go when they die." He edged closer, offering the last remaining sandwich. "Don't worry. You'll be there soon."

\/

"Got anything, shrink?" Vic turned to the resident psychologist that had been called in to the precinct. Seth Gordon shook his head, opening and closing his mouth several times before he found the right words.

"I- it's hard. For years, I've been psycho-analyzing Marty and now this? I should have seen it coming."

"But why princesses? Is it some sick, perverted fetish he's been hiding and it… exploded or something?"

"That's just it- these murders symbolize innocence, purity." Melinda shifted her gaze from the doctor to the photo of the dog bites on the third victim.

"You sure about that, shrink?"

"Positive. While many serial killers sodomize or rape their prey-" Dick, standing alone near his desk, emitted a disgusted sigh, "The Felon doesn't. That's why he's not killing these women for himself."

"Then who? His wife ditched him after what happened with Lily." Seth nodded grimly as Dick finally joined the conversation,

"He's killing for Lily. I guess after her death, he snapped and wanted to honor her in some way. Although, I wish he had picked some other way instead of kidnapping Kory, but that's not the point," The lead detective addressed his co-workers, "All of this connecting stuff is great, but it's not telling us where he's got her." They all moved closer to the board, studying it intently once again, hoping something jumped out at them.

"Every murder had to do with the princess. Belle was torn apart by 'beasts,' Mulan was be-headed like she would've been, and Jasmine was mauled by a tiger like the one she owned."

"Well, Ariel is all about water, so it's got to be somewhere with lots of it." Seth, on the other hand, disagreed,

"No, it could still be a swimming pool, too. Something indoors and out of sight from the public. All of the previous ones were done in closed spaces. He doesn't want to chance someone seeing him and ceasing his actions."

"But we know that he keeps the girls somewhere near fish because of the tiny scales I found on each of them. So a possible location could be Gotham Harbor."

"No, Gotham isn't equipped for small fishing boats, only large oil freighters."

"Bludhaven," Dick announced and they all shared a knowing look, "Their harbor has enough room for fishing vessels. That's where he killed Tara, too, so it would make sense for him to use that space every time because it was off limits to the public. Once we gained all the information we could out of the place, it would have been completely ignored," He held back his anger and instead focused on the wall behind Seth's head to clear his mind, "And Marty knew that." Dashing to his desk, Dick called the squad to inform them of the location.

\/

"All details to Bludhaven Harbor. Possible suspect and hostage. All details to Bludhaven Harbor." Marty sighed and turned down the radio he had hooked up in the hideout he'd created. This was the first of two stops, like a miniature underground railroad.

"Time to go, princess!" He called to the bleary-eyed beauty across from the desk he'd set up.

"Where… we going?" She mumbled as he gathered her nearly-unconscious form in his latex-covered hands. Even if they'd already connected him to the murders, there was no need to taint her before he sent her away.

"I told you: to see Lily. My partner must've realized I came back here, where Rose was killed, so we have to go, go, go!" Placing her in the back of the old van he'd bought for the special occasion- always in cash, of course- the piece of junk roared to life, leaving a trail of exhaust as he sped out of the warehouse. Heading back towards Gotham, he couldn't stop the enormous grin from rising when the ten or so cruisers blazed by on the opposite side of the interstate. "Run, run, run as fast as you can, Dick."

\/

Drawing his weapon, Dick moved along with the team and rounded the corner of the warehouse. The leader motioned for them to go ahead. They burst into the room and began searching the perimeters. Seeing the empty chair and desk, though, and the two pairs of handcuffs hanging from a crate nearby, the detective backed out of the room. Faintly, the leader's voice announcing the room was clear sounded as he made his way to his Pathfinder. Giving into the strain, he leaned over the hood and tried to hold back the rage surging through him.

It drugged his mind, this anger, and it wasn't until his fist created a dent in the shiny black fender that he realized how controlling it was. Would Marty leave her unharmed and give up or would the night end with a clarification at the morgue? Once again, Victor passed by and squeezed his shoulder.

"We'll catch him, man. He won't get her before we get him."

"Jesus, I never told her I loved her." Dick blurted out and glanced warily at Victor. He didn't need some hard-ass officer right now. He needed a friend to tell him to suck it up and set him straight with a few short words.

"You will, man, once this mess is over. Now, suck it in and wipe those tears away before that saltwater corrodes the paint on this baby." Dick stepped away from the vehicle and slid an arm across his face, destroying the evidence.

"Grayson!" An officer shouted from the doorway of the warehouse and both Victor and Dick trailed after the man. "We found empty syringes on the desk. It looks like he drugged her up pretty good before they split."

"You smell that?" The younger officer stilled, sniffing the air for a moment, and nodded wordlessly. "Exhaust fumes, which means they left recently, probably within the last five to ten minutes. He's taking her somewhere else- a closed in place, like Seth said."

"All of the indoor pools should be closed, it being this late at night."

"Don't put it past him to find a way. Send teams out to every public location with an indoor pool."

"Where are you going?" The officer called after the detective as he headed out with Victor.

"Another place. Have a team follow me."

**AN: **

**Chapter Eleven: "Holding out for a Hero" by Frou Frou. **

**The next chapter is nearly finished and I promise that it will be a great deal longer than this one. Although, I'm not sure if you'll be too content with the ending… mwahaha. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: "Set Me Free" by Casting Crowns / "The Lightning Strike" by Snow Patrol.**

When Kory opened her eyes, it was blissfully dark and a comforting, continuous air blew over her sweltering skin. A monotonous droning played around the killer and his prey. While Kory tried to maintain some sort of mental consciousness, the Felon pulled the supplies needed from the van. First came a polymer-coated length of chain and then a mushroom anchor followed. He settled both on the cart Kory lay on below him and pushed onward through a set of double doors.

Large glass cases of aquamarine light shone down upon the two. Various objects in the cases darted about in a hasty way, so quickly that it took Kory's hazy mind a few moments to process they weren't a side effect of the drugs. These were fish- regal blue tang, emperor angelfish, and sandbar sharks- and quite an amount of them there were.

"Bruce Wayne's newest project. I must thank him when I'm finished." With his hands so close to her body, she shivered and tried hopelessly to make herself smaller. In her deeply inhibited fantasy, she grew tinier and tinier, a real-life version of Alice. The air conditioning and expansive amount of blue froze the vision, though, and Kory was forced to return to reality.

Her life would end tonight. She knew what this man planned to do to her and there wasn't a doubt in her drug-influenced head that he would go through with it. The Fairytale Felon would be her demise. Nothing could be done, as pathetic and weak as the statement sounded. "Lily would have liked to gaze at the sea turtles. They were her favorite marine creature." Kory remained silent, not fully trusting her voice. If and when she found the ability to speak, it would be meaningful and important. Her last words could not be useless.

The droning sound from earlier kicked in and she assumed it was some sort of generator. Always being the perceptive type, she had assumed correctly and used what little energy she could muster up to face the noise. The shimmering liquid of the tank sparkled at her, dancing merrily near the open edge.

"What… happened to her?" Kory knew she was pausing the inevitable, but there was always the Chance card lying in wait to be used. This time, she pulled as many as she could and hoped they would be able to deter him from his goal. Luckily, her first card worked and the glazed eyes faded to their normal sheen. This wasn't the killer.

This was a man who had lost a daughter and drove himself mad because of it.

"Rhonda wanted her in those goddamn beauty pageants- said that they would look good on college applications. I told her that a college looking for that type of stuff wasn't a college worth applying for, but, like everything with her, she didn't listen. She never listened to me." The cart jostled slightly as he shakily deposited the weight to the tiled floor, "I found my little girl in the bathtub. She was so cold and clammy; I thought she had fallen asleep. When she didn't wake up… the doctor said she had starved herself and we hadn't even noticed. _I_ hadn't known that my own eight year-old hated herself so much that she would rather die than eat food. Lily told me a few weeks before that if she could be anything, she wanted to be a princess. When I saw that book on her shelf… I knew what I had to do."

"And you believe killing innocent… women will bring… her back?" Kory struggled with the question and nearly collapsed from exhaustion afterwards. The glaze returned to the Felon's eyes and she knew that she'd lost the battle before it had ever even begun.

"No, but she deserves to be surrounded by them. I let her kill herself. I gotta make it up to her, Ariel."

"By drowning me?" He nodded tiredly and she vaguely listened as soft thumps decorated the air around them. Whoever was coming would be too late. The heavy metal of the chain pressed against Kory's exposed body. A door creaked somewhere out of her line of vision. There would be no fight to the death with him tonight. The chains smothered her. The Felon came closer. He smothered her. Feeling a sudden shift in gravity, Kory sucked in what might possibly be her last breath. _Never be afraid, _malareal'ta. Her mother's words crawled back to her in this moment of suspension.

_I am not afraid._

"Yes, by drowning you." The words melted off of her like burning lava and fell to the floor in chunks, slipping away to destroy again.

_Do not fret, mother. We all pass on when the time comes._

\/

Easing the door open, Dick slipped into the aquarium's lobby and barely noticed as his team filed in behind. Several of them split from the pack and cleared the first floor. A proverbial clock ticked in his mind, the sound hovering over everything else. Another level cleared. If he had any sense of humor at this point, he would be comparing this mission to a video game. Unfortunately, this was reality and there would be no do-overs. No second chances. If he did this, he needed to do it right.

"By drowning me?" His footing faltered slightly at the sudden feminine voice. _Kory_, he whispered to her silently, _I'm coming, Kory_. The aquarium stopped at six levels and as they ascended to the last- the only one that hadn't been fully completed- Dick sent the team through the final door. The light glittering off the top of the water momentarily blinded the detective.

"Yes, by drowning you." A solid object connected with the water and the splash decorated the tiled floor with dark splotches. Dick watched in horror as the bound form of his girlfriend disappeared into the water. He heard the loud gasp for air she made and knew she wouldn't receive another breath if Marty committed his final act.

"Freeze, Grimes!" His former partner stood next to one of the tanks, a weight dangling from his fingers.

"You don't understand-"

"The hell I don't! Now put the damn anchor down before I take you out."

"Richard." A small voice called from the water. Kory struggled to stay afloat, trying to keep as far away from the sea-life below. The _clink_ of the chain hooking to the weight drove Dick's sights from Kory and back to the madman.

"Wrong choice of words, _partner_." The clock ticked slowly now, coming to its end. The Felon stopped suspiciously and Dick tightened his fingers on his weapon. How many times had Marty and he stood precisely like this, facing down criminals? Now he was alone and facing down the criminal who had invaded his dreams for the past few weeks. Instead of rising with the anchor, the barrel of a gun flashed into the detective's vision for a split second.

The clock ticked even slower, the dull thuds of the hands no longer hovering over the other sounds. An unfamiliar, searing pain spread across Dick's thigh and he staggered backwards into the glass tank. From behind, the team fired off rounds at their former colleague. The bullets clipped and spiraled away from the metal cart the Felon was using as a shield.

"Rich-" Kory was silenced mid-scream and Dick noted the distant sound of a flat hand slapping the water. Her small tanned fingers vanished underneath the bright aquamarine light. The detective rushed forward in the hail of bullets, tossing the cart aside as if it were threaded from silk. Satisfied when an audible crack emitted from the Felon's skull, Dick withdrew a pair of handcuffs, another wave of satisfaction curling through his blood at the _click_ of the restraints.

Down below the surface, Kory blindly struggled against the heavy chains. She squirmed and wiggled, kicking at the liquid that was currently invading her airways. The heartbeat in her ears slowed. She'd told herself earlier it was useless to fight, but now she was trapped like a wild animal. The first instinct was the one of survival. Right now, that meant breaking free of these chains.

Without a second thought, Dick leapt over the barrier of the tank and dove into the saltwater. Knowing he would be too late if vision-deprived, he endured the stinging as he searched for the familiar mane of red hair. Directly to the right, a blood stain appeared in a blur. Immediately, he rushed to the color as if it were the North Star. That stain of crimson would bring him home. Another kick surged him forward and with it, a trail of sea creatures followed, curious of the foreign object creating such a disturbance.

His lungs ached from the little amount of oxygen left. Resisting the urge to inhale, he swam onward and finally reached out with a single hand, meeting the supple skin of her bare shoulder. When he'd touched her like this last, it had been intimate. Now it meant life or death. His pale hands yanked at the chain coiled like a hungry snake around her body, but to no avail. Holding onto her to keep from floating away, Dick retrieved his weapon and aimed. Firing two shots, the chain gave free from anchor. Wasting no time, he wrapped his arms around Kory, brushing the snake off, and towed her to the surface.

Bursting through the water, he sucked in two deep breaths before hauling both of them over the wall and immediately eyed her unconscious form in panic.

"Kory? Babe?" He brought up a trembling hand to brush the soaked crimson from her pale face, "Kory, stay with me." Softly, the eyelashes quivered and lifted, revealing the emerald jewels for him to see. "Oh, thank God, Kory, I-" She frowned; angered that she was drowning out his lovely voice by so much coughing. Opening her mouth to apologize, she realized the darkness from below had returned to steal her voice. The terrible storybook irony wasn't lost on her and she might have chuckled at the situation if she wasn't being torn away from it. The fingers were coming again. Kory could see them just beyond the halo of Dick's worried face.

_No, not him. Don't take him. _They whisked away, swirling in a cloud of ink, before descending upon her form. "Kory, damn it, don't give up on me. I love you and you've gotta stay awake." The fingers scraped across her lips and the tingling reaction caused her chest to throb painfully.

There's too much fluid in her lungs, someone spoke from behind the darkness. Hospital. Ambulance. Stay. Stay, please. Dick's voice taunted her, calling from above the thick cloud she was succumbing to slowly and agonizingly. As hard as it was to admit, she knew he couldn't save her. "Come on, Kory, come on!"

Her life was not a cliché Hollywood movie. It was her life, nothing more. It was ordinary. She was not an invincible superhero or an immortal creature of the night. Kory would die just the same as everyone else- pleading to have more time. More time to say what her heart was beating for, to know what her mind was searching for. In this short expanse of time she had left, though, the darkness had acted too quickly. She couldn't find the voice to tell him that she loved him. She wasn't strong enough to stay awake and she wasn't strong enough then to fend off Grimes.

When she told her mother she wasn't afraid, she had lied. She was afraid for Dick and what would happen when she passed. These thoughts rushed at her in the split second the darkness snatched her away in a swirl of unresolved wishes and heartache. "No, _no_, you've gotta stay with me." Unshed tears laced the words as Dick cupped her cheek, running his thumb over the smooth skin.

He watched as her eyes flashed brightly, the entire orbs seeming to drown in those emeralds, and then they were gone, faded to a dull luster. "Listen to me, Kory: I'm here. I'm _right here_. Don't think about leaving me." A supernova, a star that burned too bright and finally gave in to the darkness of the universe. "I'm not going anywhere, so just… just _stay with me_."


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Happy early birthday to **_**Star of Airdrie**_**, whose amazing reviews resulted in this story being completed before my deadline (which was August 16****th****, the day before school starts). **

_One Year Later_

The thick scent of incense filled his lungs as he dragged in a slow breath. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and slowly dripped down into his eyes. He blinked them away, not daring to move his hand, as it was most likely the only thing that was keeping him from collapsing due to the heat and state of his nerves. His eyes were trained directly ahead, staring intently at the white marble gravestone. It stood as a stark contrast against the meadow-green grass of the cemetery's lawn. The two sticks of incense he'd lit earlier and placed on the base were dying; only miniature coals left, yet the smell still lingered in the air.

A swift gust of wind brushed lightly against the tears welling in his eyes, such a similar color to the water nearby.

"I'm sorry." Absentmindedly picking at the flowers he'd brought, Dick cleared his throat and let his gaze wander to the landscape surrounding the graveyard. Several hundred feet away, crystal waves broke on the crisp, white shoreline. Blocking his vision slightly were the rows of brightly-painted houses that crowded the eastern side of the island. Some were decorated with elaborate herb gardens and some were boarded up from the tourists that had occupied them.

_Enough stalling_, Dick reprimanded himself, _just say what you came here to say_. His mouth flapped open and closed, bobbing uncertainly as the words he wanted to say hid in his throat. They could taint this land, he knew. The things he needed to say to her would ruin this island, the place she'd grown up. "I'm sorry," he began again, trailing the pads of his fingers over the carved letters, "I let you down. If I had been faster, if I had been smarter, I would have caught him sooner… before he could do what he did. None of this would've happened."

Utter, complacent silence responded to his admission. Another gust blew past, scattering the coals of the incense and carelessly tousling the feathers of the seagulls that flocked above in a date palm tree. The birds cried out and floated up to ride the sudden breeze, heading to lower ground to escape.

Dick watched as they slowly vanished, their white forms melting in the sun that burned brightly on the edge of the water. Clouds painted with thick strokes of sienna and violet blocked some of the intense sunlight, enough to where the mild heat was just enough to warm the skin. While he wasn't expecting any form of a response, he felt his heart thud as a hand placed itself upon his shoulder.

"Richard," Kory moved her hand to wrap both of her arms around his torso, squeezing tightly, "My mother would not be angry. She would hug you until your spine snapped in half for saving me."

"And your father?" The familiar comical sheen returned to her eyes.

"That is another matter." Dick groaned playfully and lifted her palms up to his lips, trailing the skin with quick, hot kisses. After a lapse of comfortable silence, Kory pressed the flat of her palm on her mother's headstone for a moment and then moved on to her father's and brother's to bid them goodbye, as well. Rising up, she slipped the hand back around her boyfriend's waist. "Come, we must not miss the sunset." He strolled along with her out of the cemetery and down the winding path that led to the shore. Citizens of Tamaran milled about the busy city center to the left, tiny dots and blurs as they hustled out of office buildings and cafés. The air here was breathable, unlike the harsh smog coating Gotham. When they had arrived this morning, Dick couldn't ever imagine going _back_ to New York. This place was simply radiated luxurious, but not in the form of classy hotels and limestone architecture like Gotham. The temperature was a steady, humid 83 degrees this time of year and the sandy beaches and lofty bungalows decorated the island instead of crowding it.

Footpaths wound through the small green hills on the eastern coast instead of seven-lane interstates. Truthfully, Dick would have contemplated buying a vacation home here if Kory didn't already own the waterfront bungalow that sat on over six thousand acres. All of this scenery was a peaceful contrast to the last few months, which had been filled with trials and jury deliberations.

He could see Marty sitting in that chair, diagonal from himself on the witness stand, as he spoke of what his ex-partner had committed. The defense had tried to pull a contamination claim, saying that several pieces of evidence could have been tampered with due to Dick's relationship with one of the victims, but no one in the courtroom fell for the old trick.

Once all the fingerprints and witness reports piled on, it was obvious that this was no mistake. Fumbling for a mistrial, the defense pleaded insanity, but without a solid evaluation by any psychologist _not_ pulled from the local community college, the claim was denied.

In the end, the prosecution had won and Marty was sentenced to twenty-five to life without the possibility of parole.

Finding a secluded spot in front of the palace bungalow, Dick pressed a light kiss to Kory's temple and settled down in the wet sand beside her to watch the last of the sunset. Just a few weeks ago, he'd watched her try not to fall apart on the stand as the defense made her relive the kidnapping and drowning. She would wake up in the middle of the night, clawing at him, pushing him away from her in an attempt to escape from Marty. Eventually, she would wake up and cling to him, pleading for the madness to stop. His heart clenched painfully, knowing that he couldn't stop her terrified mind from creating the nightmares.

"Richard, you promised." He glanced over toward his girlfriend with a quizzical expression, motioning for her to explain. "You said you would stop thinking about the trial. It is finished, you realize this, yes?"

"I'm not thinking about the trial. I'm thinking about you."

"Then why are you frowning? It must not be anything good."

"Sorry, Kor," His fingers massaged the bottom of her spine and he held back a chuckle as her eyelids fluttered in pleasure, "How about I promise again?"

"Will it do any good?" This time, he did laugh and a smile formed on her face.

"Probably not." The sunlight reflected on the clear water, sparkling and bouncing on the waves, and the fire and water melded, forming one single, impossible element of illusion. Black forms of seagulls and pelicans dotted the horizon, dipping and gliding along the currents of the wind, blocking out pieces of the sunset.

"In ancient times, my people believed that if you were to swim into the sun, the water would keep you from burning up and you would be able to capture a small amount of the sun's energy. They believed that the stars in the night sky were sun-swimmers and that with all of the energy they gained, they couldn't stay on Earth and burn the people they loved, so were forced to join the other sun-swimmers in the sky."

"Then why would they capture the sun's energy in the first place?"

"The legend says that the energy meant immortality. Many of the sun-swimmers were lovers that wished to be together for eternity, so they both would swim to the sun and then spend forever in the sky.

However, there is one story about a promiscuous, evil man that tricked many women into swimming to the sun, saying he loved them and promising that he would join."

"Sounds like Bruce." Kory burst into laughter and Dick blushed lightly. "What? Come on, you _know_ that sounds exactly like him."

"Richard, the man only did this so he could steal the women's husbands for himself," At his blank face, she continued, "Perhaps I should have mentioned at the beginning he wasn't particularly attracted to females?"

"Don't worry. It'll still make a great best man toast for when Bruce gets married- if he ever does." Expecting the playful slap, Dick caught her hand before it made contact and linked both of her wrists above her head, lowering down to capture her lips, all joking aside. "I would swim to the sun for you, Kory." The emeralds darkened and their kisses continued, his fingers releasing her wrists to plant his hands on either side of her head, digging into the wet sand underneath them.

"And I would do the same for you. Swimming happens to be my favorite form of exercise." Dick tried not to let the streak of pain in her eyes at the thought of water ruin the moment. Raising a hand, his sand-covered fingers brushed against her skin and she shivered at the tickling grains. "Do you wish to know my other favorite form of exercise?" He grinned cheekily at the sensual tone in her voice and responded deeply with,

"Oh, I'm pretty familiar with it, babe."

"You are sure?" She rose from the sand, raking a hand through her hair to rid the sand. He couldn't help but think of the little lavender box in his suitcase and how the ring would look on that slender finger of hers. By the time he'd finished the fantasy, Kory was already sauntering up the steps of the white-washed deck. "I believe there are many, many things you still have to learn, Richard." Another sway of the hips, tastefully covered in a lavender sarong, and Dick was barreling up the stairs after her. Kory squealed, dashing across the deck and into the house. Strong arms wrapped around the skin of her torso and lifted her into the air, cradling her against a broad chest.

He raced to the bedroom with her giggling uncontrollably in his arms out of sheer exhilaration and hilarity as he struggled with the doorknob. With a final turn of the contraption, he carried her over to the bed and settled her on the comforter, retreating only to shut the door. The _snick_ of the lock catching resonated through the house until the laughter began again. It filled the bungalow, the unbound joy spilling from sorrow, as the night sky shone with a thousand pricks of light.

**AN: And you thought I would kill her off… okay, I admit, the idea seemed very tempting, but as I began typing, I couldn't go back and commit an act so atrocious as having him talking to her as a ghost (which was my original idea). I'm sure you guys are much more content with this ending, too. **

**The legend of the sun-swimmers was made up on a whim, so no, it's not real as far as I know. I also spent over an hour finding the perfect names for Kory's parents and never ended up using them, so here's what I decided on:**

**Aisling Cora Anders and Rylan Declan Anders**

**Chapter Thirteen: "Pieces" by Red / "Your Love is a Song" by Switchfoot**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! **


End file.
